Leave aside the major issues that give birth to protests, demonstrations, fast unto death, violence and so on, the minor ones also have joined the bandwagon. This can’t be more true than in our country Nepal where the list of frustrations, aspirations and the like come in a form resembling a scroll the deciphering of which eats into the limited time that the concerned person in the chair has. When the time taken for the response is a long time coming, the demand raisers just lose patience and go ahead with their usual state-of-the-art shape and size of dissatisfaction presentation, which has the roadblocks or a bandh as an appetizer. The main course varies as per the location and the nature of the back-up that the front line demonstrators have.

It’s all a pressure tactic honed for many years, possibly the stronger after the last revolutionary achievement. It is worth bearing in mind that it makes sense to speak up in spite of the arrival of the baton-equipped force supported by the tear gas throwers. So much so that even a protest can emerge over a threat. This is understandable when the verbal onslaught has to be contained. And what better way can there be than to go for a measure with all the trappings of a genuine protest. Protest of any kind can’t be allowed to fester, and the deal comes around. It’s all cheers for the protesters, right or wrong.