Bandh day

In Nepal, a typical work week is six days to make up for time that may be lost due to an unexpected bandh. A common form of political protest in South Asia, andhs are becoming somewhat ordinary in Nepal, often causing major cities like Kathmandu to reach a complete standstill.

During a bandh, no one is expected to open shop, including schools, or drive on main roads. Attempt to break the bandh, and you risk having rocks thrown at your windows, tires burned, and your car set on fire.

As a result, streets are nearly deserted except for demonstrations and a small number of people on foot. I know this, of course, because the Maoists declared one on Monday.I wanted to see what was going on. The caretaker of our guesthouse said it was safe to walk, especially for tourists. For some reason, the bandh doesn’t apply to tourists. Yesterday, demonstrators burned the bike of a doctor attempting to get to the hospital in

time. — advocacynet.org