Kozhikode: 

When the nationwide general strike paralyzed many parts of India on Wednesday, the small village of Parammal near Mavoor in Kozhikode district of Kerala had a different story to tell.

While media channels beamed images of shutdowns and roadblocks across the state, vehicles moved freely here, and markets buzzed with customers, some arriving from neighboring districts. Parammal stood firm not to down shutters.

Shopkeepers like Nassar and Vappu, who run a small hotel, made sure to open up at the crack of dawn. “We are a little busier on hartal days,” they said, reflecting the confidence that defines their community.

Kunjahammad’s meat shop, Muhammadali’s stationery store, and Mujeeb’s barber shop all witness increased footfall as villagers and people from nearby areas rush in for essential supplies on days of strike and hartals. Even the local hardware store sees more business as customers seize the day for minor repairs.

The unity behind this decision is remarkable. According to Hameed, office-bearer of the Jawahar Arts and Sports Club, “The collective work of local clubs, political parties, and cultural organizations is what made Parammal hartal-free. Even shops that normally don’t open every day stay open during hartals. It is a matter of principle. If a shop closes without a clear reason, it won’t be allowed to reopen easily.”

This community-wide commitment means even attempts to shut shops by strike supporters are resisted not just by villagers, but sometimes even by the activists of the very parties that called the hartal.

The Parammal model raises a critical question: Is public inconvenience an acceptable price for political expression in a democracy?

What Parammal could achieve and sustain for long 25 years through a collective will to defy strikes and hartals, a similar move on a much bigger canvass in Communist ruled West Bengal had ended in a fierce controversy and a divided house.

The Communist chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had given a similar call to shun bandhs and strikes way back in 2008 as part of his drive to effect a perception change about West Bengal, marred by frequent work stoppages. The West Bengal chief minister was courting industrialists like Tatas and Birlas to invest in the state.

But the party politburo had different thoughts. It immediately distanced itself from the stand saying that strikes and hartals are fundamental rights of workers.

“It is a personal opinion of the chief minister. It is not our party's stand," retorted Communist Party of India’s (Marxist) then West Bengal general secretary Biman Bose.

In the midst of such a controversy the West Bengal and Kerala unit of the CPI(M) had dealt with the issue of essential services and 24x7 industries like IT in the event of a strike. Bothe the states finally had come out with proposals that these 24x7 industries needed some relaxation and strikes and hartals as political tools were redefined.

Just 19 kilometers from Kozhikode city, Parammal’s open markets stood in stark contrast to the silence in neighboring localities like Mavoor, Cheruppa, Peruvayal, and Chevayur — all shuttered in observance of the strike.

For the people of Parammal, however, hartal days are just another normal day.

In a state where strikes and hartals are frequent resulting in disruption to normal life, Parammal’s defiance is not born of disregard, but of resilience forged in response to a violent incident 25 years ago.

On a hartal day, 25 years ago, when most shops remained closed, a hotel in Parammal had opened its doors. Hartal supporters stormed in, destroyed food, and assaulted the hotel owner. The brutality shocked the village into action.

In the aftermath, a rare collective decision was made: never again would Parammal bow to hartal pressure. Since then, regardless of the political climate, the village has remained open, its markets vibrant, its roads busy, and its resolve unwavering. “No political party or organization has threatened us since,” says Kabir, a local resident. “Even cadres of the organizations that declare hartals come here to buy goods on strike days.”

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