hartal

[ hahr-tahl ]

noun

1. (in India) a closing of shops and stopping of work, especially as a form of passive resistance.

hartal

/ hɑːˈtɑːl /

noun

1. (in India) the act of closing shops or suspending work, esp in political protest

Word History and Origins

Origin of hartal¹

1915–20; < Hindi harṭal, variant of haṭṭāl, equivalent to hat shop ( Sanskrit haṭṭa ) + tāl locking ( Sanskrit tālāka lock, bolt)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hartal¹

C20: from Hindi hartāl, from hāt shop (from Sanskrit hatta ) + tālā bolt for a door (from Sanskrit: latch)

Example Sentences

In response, the Indian National Congress resolved to welcome the prince to Bombay with a hartal or strike, and bonfires of foreign-made cloth, a symbol of Britain's economic imperialism.

From BBC

For weeks, Bangladesh had been gripped by a hartal, a nationwide general strike and “transportation blockade.”

From New York Times

The hartal, called by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was an effort to pressure Prime Minster Sheikh Hasina into holding new elections.

From New York Times

“But with the hartal, there will be almost no traffic. Traffic will be O.K.”

From New York Times

Every time I have ever asked members of the BNP why they employ the hartal form of protest, the answer has always been that they feel they have no other choice to make their voices heard.

From Forbes