There have been 80 of them in the last 18 months alone and they are the most visible manifestation of the political ferment never far from the surface of Kerala life.
The Hartal, or unofficial strike, seems to be coming a part of Kerala life as theopposition Congress party tries to stir up opposotion to the ruling Communist Party of India regional government. Back in 1999 when the high court banned the “bundhh” or official strike it was soon replaced by the hartal or unofficial strike. However, there is nothing unofficial about hartal as people who try to work through them know. Often drunk party workers attack stalls and cars and generally cause a mayhem that the police do little to break or interrupt.
Tourists might expect to be ignored as this is, lets face it, a little local posturing, but tourists often find travel difficult and can even miss flights as taxis and cars refuse to drive across party picket lines.
So next time you visit Kerala, you may discover that hartal has joined the backwaters and Kalari and ayurveda as one of the local traditions
