Hartal (har- thaal)- I dont know from where this word came. But I know that in my small Kerala it means total shutdown..when a call (Yup..the politicians give it..there also seems to be a website dedicated to it) is given for harthal, people strike work, dont move out their vehicles and stay put at home.
Post harthaal, we dont forget to conduct talks and endless debates about "economic loss" on account of lost man hours.
My bright masters student, however thinks otherwise. He sees a "green" opportunity here. Since the vehicles stays home (I remember reading about the vehicle density in this small Kerala state-it seems to have overtaken USA!), the emissions on hartal day is very low. So, hartal days are actually carbon nuetral..argues Anish.
Well Anish, Keralites might be saving on carbon emissions, but look what an average Malayalee does when left to do nothing? Like in hartaal days...Watch TV endlessly, gobble up oil-fried snacks (that include chicken tikka and the like). All these are highly energy-intensive. You spend electricity to run the TV, fan, AC (if it is there) and fuel to cook. By over-watching we are creating more demand for electricity. Same is the case with food stuffs. And this is no "green" either.
So, isnt' the carbon nuetral gained (???) out of harthal getting offset by our "not-so-green" actions at home?
What is the trade-off, Anish?
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