THE 12 hour HNLC bandh turned out to be a damp squib. Life was normal in Shillong barring a few localities where shops remained closed. Thanks to the call given by the Rangbah Shnong (headman) of Laitumkhrah asking people to boycott the bandh, all the shops in Laitumkhrah remained open. Unfortunately most other Rangbah Shnong failed to motivate people to beat the bandh call. If people came out to pursue their normal duties it is mainly through their own initiative. The only people who suffered a blow were the vegetable vendors in Iewduh who had to down their shutters since the vehicles bringing vegetables from the villages refused to ply on account of the bandh. However this too might soon change once they see the behavioural change in the Shillong public which is increasingly becoming intolerant towards bandhs.
The HNLC clearly had a vindictive agenda of sabotaging the India Today MindRocks programme which was hosted by the State Government in collaboration with private players like Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum (MTDF) and The Northeast Today (TNT) but they failed miserably. MindRocks went off without a glitch. There was a large, enthusiastic group of youth who had come to meet their icons, but there were also several elderly people as well who were interested in the programme. In the evening the Shillong Choir Festival at the State Library premises pulsated with life as people thronged the venue to listen to Christmas chorals performed by different groups.
The only people who might have added to the partial success of the bandh were yet again the errant government employees who conveniently stayed away from their work much to the chagrin of their officers. Sometimes we wonder whether the HNLC is the demon or the Government employees who get paid for not working. The Government has to come up with strict measures to deal with these indolent, anti-Government, anti-establishment work force.
