Today is Harthal. I heard that it happens as an agitation against the cold-blooded murder of T. P. Chandrashekharan, the eminent leader of the Revolutionary Marxist Party. I don't really understand the sense of it. With this Harthal, what do they intend to do? I saw it in news that the police is already on the track of investigation. The ministers are running to Calicut "cancelling all the committed programs". The suspected is heard to be the communists. Whatever... Shall I ask you, why did they declare this Harthal? For what reason? Or, for getting what? 'Justice' would be a strong cliche answer. Then I would ask again, what kind of justice and justice for what? If the rate of something creeps up, there would be Harthal. If someone blames a public figure in public, there would be Harthal. And when someone is murdered, there would be Harthal. I am not hinting at the frequency of Harthals, but I am asking about why this Harthal is happening! I am searching for an aswer to debate with my understanding that Harthal is more the foul fart of Kerala politics! As TP Chandrasekharan gets a horrible death with a cruel political murder, I am not thinking about the political issues behind that. I am not fully aware of the history of it till now. To be very frank, I was unfamiliar with that name and it is only by watching the news that I understood about who he was. The term 'bold' seemed to recur in news channels while defining him. Well, I am not sure about that too. Hence I am not writing fake honors to him, without really knowing about his past. At this point of time, when he is murdered and harthal happens as an after-effect, I feel happy with my ignorance about politics. Even when I had the ability to get updated with the political conditions and politicians around with watching the news and reading the online updates, I had always refused to do that. I stayed away from politics. I closed my ears to the particised discussions and debates. Much of blame for my indifference, as of many others, goes to the politicians themselves, while a major other part goes to the media. Years before, when i started listening to the news or started reading the newspapers, I used to turn the first pages with a second, rather with a blink of an eye. I used to hear the apologies by prominent ministers for giving out so and so statements just a day before. Everyday I used to see that the newspaper was getting filled with what one said, what he shouldn't have, what he didn't say, what he refused that he had told, what he apologised for telling, what he explains about what he told... Everything is about what 'they' say. The people seemed to debate and get nervous about what was included in their statements, that mostly had the life of just one day. Just the next day it almost used to vanish as if with some magic. My childhood rememberances about my grasp of politics is unfortunately, like this. Till now, I haven't felt regret with it anytime. And what I see hadn't got any better anytime, besides getting worse, worser and the worst. For the sake of fun, let me share another simple personal thing. I had Political Science as subsidiary for my Degree in English Language and Literature. Thank God that I did pass it, with a mark just above the margin for getting passed. While I used to stare at the only low marks in my mark list that was owned by Political Science, I used to have a mocking laugh. Then I used to console myself with the line that it is 'their' mistake calling it Political 'Science'. The difference is in the very concept that while they wrote it as science, I used to consider it as an 'art' with direction, stage setting, acting, producing, marketing and releasing, and it was all about how well it is applaused by the audience! While the basis is different, how can I get good marks for it! For me, they are still completely wrong! :P The one social affair that I got really into was the Mullaperiyar issue. Somehow I felt the emergency of public support for it. I started writing about it, with each word that is true to the best of my knowledge and belief. I used to read papers on it, started googling and researching on the sub- topics, debated constructively with the committed public like me. It was interesting that everyday I used to run to the television on waking up, to see the news updates about it. I thought that I am getting a bit more involved in social issues. With some shocking negative incidents that had happened to Kerala about Mullapperiyar, I opted to become a little silent and to watch out about what is happening. Standing impartial between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, I could see that both of them were making use of the public for their silly intentions. As things worsened and when the shrewd political leaders started to give out fake statements that we were made to follow, I quit from it, to not get fooled anymore with only 'heard' reports of the same. Many plays happened along the game of Mullaperiyar so that I thought of going back to my indifferent political view. That made me very regretfully stay away from politics forever. A generation just before mine advises me to be aware of politics and get updated with the political news everyday. But no one could really make me feel that I should do it, even with long and strong discussions. I was never convinced with any point put forward by them! The climaxes of most sensational news always prove that my stand is right. Fake reports, fake statements, disguised self of politicians, cold blooded murder, the plays of egos- personal/official, rumors, fights, third rate planned games etc were the real headlines, if we dig deep into each issue, and those dirtiness feigned to be some other better thing in disguise. The most important of all was the fact that the white conceals the dark inside, without any party differences! The murder of T P Chandrashekharan is just the most recent proof for it. Who knows what is the real truth! What is in front is just what the others say, edited by the leaders, re-edited by the media, and sensationally highlighted by the crooked marketing brains. Mark me, the following days will see the intense fights for TRP ratings between the news channels with made up stories of the same. Each of them will run for a line that they can develop into "exclusive" novels. 'T. P. Chandrashekharan', having been born in news headlines, is going to get really tortured over and over again in a drastic scale and then will be murdered at last for another news scope. My deepest condolences to Kerala! Rest in peace, the departed person, because everything is for good, even your death for you! Your murder and the creeping price of petrol costs just same thing for the public- Harthal and a happy stay a home! Condolences to you, for that reason as well!