Do you know what a "nationwide bandh" is?

I know I certainly didn't but apparently it's a big deal. Chalk this one up to a "cultural experience" for me.

So yesterday I'm burning through my day trying to get the never ending list of to-do's done and then I get an email stating I should work from home on Thursday. Naturally curious I start asking some colleagues what the 411 is. I had heard talk on Monday about a potential "holiday" on Thursday but didn't think too much about it.

Welp, turns out there is a bit of a dispute about diesel prices being raised here in country and one of the political parties is none too pleased about it and has declared a nationwide bandh, which is ultimately a stoppage of work, daily life, etc.

Being a naive American, and even more naive HR professional, when I hear strike I think of individuals with signs shouting about not being paid enough or concerned that there performance at work might actually be tracked. (Yes, I'm looking at you Chicago Teachers Union. Your compensation is completely ridiculous considering your districts performance and state financial situation. I'm all about 100k salaries for teachers, but you better be sending every one of those kids to an Ivy League school and ranking higher than India and China in STEM education for that compensation. Pay for performance people.)

Well the strike game here in India is on an entirely new level. Apparently you take this stuff seriously or risk physical harm. Here are some excerpts from a local paper covering the story...

oohhhhhhhhh scary...

So school kids get an extra day off. I used to get days off all the time when it was -37 degrees F (without windchill) or when megastorms would ruin my childhood memories of Halloween.

Ok, so if there's one thing I've learned while living here, autorickshaw drivers hardly ever say no to a fare and are fearless in their own right to even drive these streets. But if a bandh creates a fear of attack, now they have my attention.

Ummmm... this sounds like foreshadowing to me now.

Well that's nice that the State Police has "done their best." Famous last words. Anytime someone tells you they did their best it means they dropped the ball and you need to get on damage control immediately. This applies to life at home, the office, or any other facet for that matter.

So yeah, should be fun tomorrow and most likely not a big deal. I've been assured by the hotel that they are locking the gates and bringing in extra security. I'll snap some photos and share what this looks like.

Cheers.