24-26 February 2007

This is a brief account of presenting a solidarity banner that we made at the Write for Rights event at Amnesty International Toronto last December. For information on the Bhopal disaster, please see www.amnesty.org and www.bhopal.net.

Early in February I called the Sambhavana Clinic, the only community-based medical clinic for gas-affected survivors and their offspring. I spoke with Satyu, the driving force behind the Clinic, and when I said I was from Amnesty International in Toronto and wanted to bring the solidarity banner we had made, he was instantly welcoming. We arranged for me to call when I arrived February 23rd; a fortuitous time as there was be a week-long protest starting Feb. 20th. He also gave me the number of a woman in Chennai who could bring me up to date.

At an office in south Chennai, I met with Shveta and Madhu, and in the course of the conversation learned that people living in gas-affected areas had recently been given eviction notices. By the time I got to Bhopal, this had been either postponed or rescinded. We also discovered that we shared an interest in the Kashipur conflict in Orissa.

Feb 23rd – my train arrived late, and when I called I heard I had just missed the torch-light march which was a highlight of the week-long protests. Over 500 women walked to the Madhya Pradesh Government buildings; it got a lot of press.

Saturday I joined the sit-in, and watched as Rashida Bee’s group presented. Rashida and her colleague Champa Devi Shukla received the Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia in 2004 (see Bhopal: the search for justice, Peter Raymont’s film). With the US$125,000 they received from the award, they opened a Trust that funds corrective surgery for deformed children of gas and water-affected parents.

Later in the afternoon I presented the banner with the help of Satyu, Rashida and Syed M Irfan. I spoke of how the banner was created, how people in Toronto are with them, and how we will keep writing to Dow to try to get adequate compensation and the plant site cleaned up. Satyu translated for me, and it seemed to flow quite well. Later they hung the banner up, and it stayed there for the rest of the time I was there. It will probably get placed at the Clinic.

I spent Sunday sitting with everyone. During the afternoon two young women handed out information leaflets much the same as we do. The main difference was that most of the people in the street in India are men, and each transaction was underlined with sexual innuendo. In the evening the children put on a play, but I didn’t see much; the makeshift stage was surrounded by a crowd of testosterone-charged young men. However, it sounded well rehearsed, and it was certainly important to get the message out.

On Monday I visited the Clinic and got a tour by a Canadian volunteer. Not at all like the slum-like surroundings of its location, it’s open, spacious, clean, a thriving hub of caring. They moved into these new quarters about 6 months ago, and for the victims it feels like they’re being well treated. They take a holistic approach, using Yoga and Ayurveda as well as allopathy. Earlier Satyu had told me that the first two (or three) attempts to start a clinic were shut down by the government (subversive?). This last endeavour has been tolerated, and has done extremely well.

Then I went to the plant site. You can’t get near it really, but can see it only from afar. There’s a huge wall around it – the bit we drove by to get to the gate was about half to one kilometre long. On the wall are messages in Hindi, English and Urdu from recent and past activist actions (one of my favourites, in spite of being a true death penalty abolitionist, is “Hang Anderson”). Right next door is a fairly new community centre set up by the government, heedless of the fact that the local groundwater is contaminated. Supporters have installed a beautiful sculpture across the street. So for the people who live, work or drive by the area, it’s pretty hard to forget.

But for most Bhopalis it seems the world’s biggest industrial accident is a dim memory. The people I stayed with, friends of a friend, said they’re “used to it.” Monday evening they took me for a drive near the lake that separates “old” from “new” Bhopal, and showed me a completely different side of the city. Overlooking the lake is the abandoned UCC office, a once modern glassy building that must have been quite the landmark. Now it lies unused and neglected, taking up prime real estate.

The contrast between the agony of the gas and water-affected people and the beauty of the wealthy parts of town is not reconcilable. There seems to be no tradition of volunteering in India, and so foreigners have jumped in. Satya noted that it’s only because of international attention that they’ve come as far as they have.

Until next time –

Ellen

To view photos please click here