A small town with picturesque settings…a land of joy, a land of beauty & a land full of happy lives. Then one day tragedy strikes, a disaster where thousands perish, the beauty & the lives all disappear into the abyss of greed, deceit and power!!! A tragedy forever embedded in the sands of time as the disastrous Bhopal Gas Tragedy that not only took the lives of thousands but also took the belief of thousands from the Indian judicial system for good. How I wish this was a script of a Bollywood blockbuster, but to my grief and that of the entire nation’s this isn’t. At least if it would have been a movie script, after all the carnage and the loss we would have got a fitting retribution when the evil meets its disastrous and deserving end.
Our entire lives we learn, teach or preach the importance of responsibility but it is bizarre that the while so many people lost their lives due to negligence by a few, we are unable to bring to justice those few who were responsible. In a country boasting to be the largest democracy of the world and a government proudly tagged as “for the people, of the people and by the people”, the people are neglected by choice or by chance. What occurred in Bhopal on the fatefull December night of 1984 is merely a prelude to what the city has faced till date. If after 16 years after the incident, our comfortable living rooms do not comfort us while we follow the trial of justice for the Bhopal victims on news channels, imagine the life of a survivor who didn’t even have the chance to see it coming but has endured it till date to know that his torture and misery has been negotiated for a paltry reimbursement.
The idea is not to raise fingers or take sides because in a nation where innumerable factions thriving on controversies we would become an inconsequential addition to the bandwagon. In case of what happened in Bhopal, the who’s, the why’s and the how’s are quite evident to us but they have been for the last 16 years being immaculately shielded by the if’s and the but’s. By nature, past history and by experience the powers deciding the fates of those who suffered have understood that they are dealing with a mass of people who will shout, protest and will soon compromise with the rest. The truth is that, we are tied down by our personal quests to find time to fight such battles and tend to leave it saying life moves on.
As said, life does move on and the Bhopal of today is the best example of that saying. A city struck with a disaster of biblical proportions has slowly but steadily gotten back into its groove and made itself noticed to the entire nation. From scenic landscapes to formidable infrastructure, Bhopal has carved itself a spot in the India’s books of culture tradition and innovation. The city boasts not only about being a platform for traditional arts and culture but also about the numerous prestigious educational institutes it sports. This justifies its will to grow but does it justify its will to let go?
No true Indian how occupied or busy he is, can ever let go of what happened in Bhopal in the winters of 1984 and all that the city and its people demand, is closure. My grandmother always said that “an innocent person’s curse has to be feared the most” and for once I hope she is right, because where the justice has failed, lets hope that the curses prevail!!!
Our entire lives we learn, teach or preach the importance of responsibility but it is bizarre that the while so many people lost their lives due to negligence by a few, we are unable to bring to justice those few who were responsible. In a country boasting to be the largest democracy of the world and a government proudly tagged as “for the people, of the people and by the people”, the people are neglected by choice or by chance. What occurred in Bhopal on the fatefull December night of 1984 is merely a prelude to what the city has faced till date. If after 16 years after the incident, our comfortable living rooms do not comfort us while we follow the trial of justice for the Bhopal victims on news channels, imagine the life of a survivor who didn’t even have the chance to see it coming but has endured it till date to know that his torture and misery has been negotiated for a paltry reimbursement.
The idea is not to raise fingers or take sides because in a nation where innumerable factions thriving on controversies we would become an inconsequential addition to the bandwagon. In case of what happened in Bhopal, the who’s, the why’s and the how’s are quite evident to us but they have been for the last 16 years being immaculately shielded by the if’s and the but’s. By nature, past history and by experience the powers deciding the fates of those who suffered have understood that they are dealing with a mass of people who will shout, protest and will soon compromise with the rest. The truth is that, we are tied down by our personal quests to find time to fight such battles and tend to leave it saying life moves on.
As said, life does move on and the Bhopal of today is the best example of that saying. A city struck with a disaster of biblical proportions has slowly but steadily gotten back into its groove and made itself noticed to the entire nation. From scenic landscapes to formidable infrastructure, Bhopal has carved itself a spot in the India’s books of culture tradition and innovation. The city boasts not only about being a platform for traditional arts and culture but also about the numerous prestigious educational institutes it sports. This justifies its will to grow but does it justify its will to let go?
No true Indian how occupied or busy he is, can ever let go of what happened in Bhopal in the winters of 1984 and all that the city and its people demand, is closure. My grandmother always said that “an innocent person’s curse has to be feared the most” and for once I hope she is right, because where the justice has failed, lets hope that the curses prevail!!!
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