Life in the time of banda

KATHMANDU, July 25: The nationwide general strike on Friday affected people in many ways. The banda was called by CPN Maoist in protest of the India-China bilateral agreement over Lipu Lekh Pass located on the Nepal-China border.

With schools and businesses remaining closed for the day, roads looked almost bereft as only a few private vehicles and some public vehicles were moving. People could also be seen walking. We talked to a few people about their day, their views on the banda and how it affected them.

Sita Poudyal, 24
Madan Bhandari
Memorial College

Apart from small children, I don't think anyone else likes bandas at all. My morning classes were canceled because of the banda and I'm disappointed because today was my favorite teacher's class. I like going to college because I feel fresh and ready for studies in the morning. Most importantly, I had to go to the hospital and I had made the appointment weeks in advance. I had fixed it for Friday because my husband has half day at work and we were supposed to go together. But of course, I couldn't go and now it will have to wait for a week. I guess one thing that's nice is that I could spend more time with my husband (we're newlyweds). However, this banda brought more disappointments than anything else.

Labisha Uprety, 22
Communications and Development Assistant, Samriddhi Foundation

At a glance, Banda may seem like an uncalled holiday. But in reality it disrupts our mobility, so although it might be a holiday, we cannot go out and have fun! Instead we end up sitting at home and getting mad at political leaders. And those times when you have to reach your workplace no matter what, you are compelled to walk for hours under the burning sun or unexpected rainfall otherwise.

The organization I am working for, Samriddhi Foundation has been campaigning against the notion of banda since 2009, under the name 'Gari Khana Deu'. The economy suffers greatly because of the strikes and moreover there are people who get heavily impacted by it. The idea is that common citizens should not suffer because of political bickering and that makes perfect sense.

Vishan Neupane, 20
RJ, Radio Rajdhani

I've never enjoyed bandas. It cuts my mobility and I'm required to sit at home doing nothing. After I became an RJ, I'm compelled to keep the show going no matter what. So today, I had to walk for about 30 minutes to reach my workplace. Luckily, my house is not that far from my office, but there may have been many in emergency who weren't able to reach their destinations in time. Talking about it in the national context, it severely hampers the economy. There are people whose bread and butter depend on a day's earning. We also send a bad message to the outside world through our tourists.

Sudeep Kandel, 25
Market Researcher, Whittaker Associates

At the economical level, surely banda doesn't bid well for the country but personally, banda doesn't affect me much. I am an ardent runner and cyclist, and as insensitive as it might sound banda really gives me more space to run and cycle and does not hinder my mobility in anyway. Today I went on a nice run in the morning via the Kathmandu Running Club, which I and a friend co-founded and later I reached my office using cycle. Most of my bandas are spent that way. I pretty much do the things I would have otherwise done during a weekend.

Ayush Shrestha Joshi, 26
Communications
Coordinator at Search for Common Ground (SFCG) Nepal

I woke up with the news that a school bus was burnt, and some pedestrians were threatened for defying the band. This really traumatized me. We have just gone through a very traumatic experience, and people are still struggling to get on their feet and lead a normal life. This banda has surely fueled hopelessness in many people. On my way to the office, I interacted with a few people in the nearby tea shop and their narratives were completely negative. Many didn't even know the reason behind the banda. I personally feel that this banda has unmasked the insensitive nature of the certain group of people, who cannot empathize with the trauma that we've all gone through. There are many non-violent ways to solve problems, and it's high time political parties understand that violent activities such as bandas cannot fetch long term solutions. If politicians and political parties want to truly represent people and their issues, then they need to follow the right way.

Mahima Khanal, 25
Entrepreneur

I run an indoor Futsal game arena in Old Baneshwar. Yes, it's frustrating about the banda but these strikes don't affect my business drastically as it's in a residential area. If it were in a commercial area or by the roadside, I'm sure it would be a different story. I do get cancellations on bookings but people from the nearby areas also walk in as their schools and colleges are closed. Then they spend four to five hours playing the game. Since I live in Gaushala, I didn't go to work today but my staff live close by and they make sure the business runs normally. As for whether I know the reason behind the strike, I do know that it's due to the Lipu Lekh Pass in Darchula but some friends of mine didn't have any idea what it was about.