Bandh

Sorry for the delay in posting the past five days have been filled with many new experiences so I have quite a lot to write about but no time to write. Here I am at last!

Saturday, December 5th was a bit of a scary day. What started off as a normal working day led to an evacuation of my office at about 4 PM. There was rioting in the city, buildings had been burned and there was SOME violence targeted toward white people (or so I was told). Most of the agitation had happened near where I am living so the roads getting home were completely blocked. My rickshaw driver was trying to pick me up but everyone at my office was worried about my safety riding home in a rickshaw.

In the end, I was taken home in the back of an ambulance (got to play a basic game of hide the white girl).

The riots are politically funded and rooted in the desire of some of the populace wanting two separate states formed out of the single existing state Andhra Pradesh. The chief of the separation party began fasting last week and was admitted to ICU on Saturday, feuling the initial riots, he remains in ICU with a worsening condition and has refused to take any sort of nourishing fluids, etc.

This article gives a brief synopsis of what is going on and the fact that the violence, rioting and agitation is supposed to continue: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/TRS-chiefs-condition-worsens-turmoil-in-Andhra/articleshow/5317745.cms

This leads us to the word Bandh: A Bandh is originally a Hindi word meaning 'closed' and essentially means that the city is expected to close-down tomorrow...it is essentially a lock-down. We were on a 48+ Bandh from Saturday - Monday of this week and are now having another tomorrow.

Bandhs, in a nutshell, suck. Nothing is open, there is nothing to do, and people are encouraged to not go anywhere. BORING.

So, all in all this has been a real experience in what it is like to live in a culture where things are slightly unstable. That being said things are really not that bad - more of a nuicance than anything. My thoughts are more with my friends who are currently placed in Lahore, Pakistan where the bombings of Moon Market have recently shaken a previously rather secure area. If you say any prayers, pray for them and their safety.

Meghan