Remembering the Bhopal Gas Tragedy

The memory of a tragedy is twofold; it echoes in the minds of survivors and reverberates in the collective consciousness of the community.

It is fascinating how memory works. Associations between specific dates, locations, and significant events can create strong links in our minds. In my case, realizing it's December 2 today immediately triggered a memory related to the 1984 Bhopal Gas Tragedy that happened years before I was born in a place more than 11,000 kilometers away when measured in a straight line.

Shortly past midnight, a storage tank at the Union Carbide's chemical plant in Bhopal started releasing methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas. The poisonous cloud enveloped a significant portion of Bhopal, causing widespread devastation.

My family survived the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, probably the biggest human-made disaster in the world. My parents would often talk about what they went through, and I would try to visualize:

- Everyone suddenly wakes up in the middle of the night, tears streaming, water in their mouths and noses, relentless coughing, and a burning sensation throughout their bodies.

- People fleeing the city on random crowded trains or frantic motorcycle rides (as hardly anyone owned a four-wheeler then).

- The precariousness of traveling with infants (my cousins) amid the chaotic crowds.

- The hospitals flooded with thousands disastrously hit by the unknown.

My family got out of the city in time to have any noticeable impact on their health, but who knows. They were the privileged ones. Millions of people had no way out. The number of casualties was approximated to range from 15,000 to 20,000, while around half a million survivors experienced respiratory issues, eye irritation or blindness, and various health problems emanating from their exposure to the toxic gas.

This is only the 'published' impact on human life, which is beyond overwhelming and doesn't leave much space in the limited human bandwidth to think about compensating for what it did or continues to do to plant and animal life. The compensation made to the people of Bhopal is a cruel joke. I would not even go there.

In this case, the tragedy occurred in Bhopal, significantly affecting the local life, despite them not owning the factory. This is just one example of how communities, often marginalized or lacking power, bear the brunt of industrial disasters and environmental hazards caused by the inhuman negligence of those who own the companies, often sitting thousands of kilometers away. These communities end up as the dumping ground for highly toxic waste and pay a high price for injustices to their health, well-being and environment.

The playing field is far from level.