Tuesday, June 08, 2010

Justice delayed and justice denied...!!

Can you forget this picture, at least I can't. I don't understand how the law makers and law enforcers are able to do that.
Around 22,000 dead. More than 1,20,000 injured.  Rs 1 lakh for each body. Rs 25,000 for every poisoned lung and damaged heart and blinded eyes. 26 years of long wait. And just 2 years in jail for the men who committed the worst crime against the people of this country. And this mockery of justice after such a long wait. 25 years after the greatest industrial accident in the world.  25 years after over 25,000 perished in an agonizing death on the terrible night when the deadly gas leaked out of the Union Carbide chemical factory in Bhopal. Or in slow tortureous deaths in the few weeks following that night as people saw their loved ones wither away with little medical help.  And as the city of Bhopal began to look like a huge mortuary.

And 25 years later after the hundreds of thousands that were affected by the gas have mostly perished to it’s long term effects, the court finally delivered their judgement today. People of Bhopal are still drinking toxic water poisoned by Union Carbide in December 1984. And the main culprit is living life kingsize in a mansion in New York.

No country sells its people so cheap.
No country sells its poor so cheap.
No country sells its dead so cheap.

It’s a completely irrelavant judgement. For those on whose shoulders lie the responsibility of this avoidable, irresponsible, completely mismanaged accident, have long since made their deals with the government of India and gone. It was one of the greatest and most brutal sellout by the government of India and it’s courts of the people of India.

Till today as the people of Bhopal continue to suffer from the  thousands of cases of cancer and incurable birth defects in children born to the parents of the people that inhaled the gas on the terrible night.  And as toxic waste continues to seep into and through the ground water  25 years later.

But who cared about the poor people of Bhopal? Certainly not our own Government who like cannibals preyed upon their own people. Apparently very little of the  paltry $ 470 million that  was paid went to helping the people that suffered, a large part being diverted to the pockets of corrupt officials. The excuse used was that you could not tell who was a victim of the gas tragedy and who was not.

25 years later, are we making the same mistakes ? The law is supposed to be a deterrent to crimes being committed again. This judgement just proves that you could do anything in India and get away with it. Even kill thousands and thousands of people.
 
Today, India proved that it doesn’t really care for its people, particularly if they have been slaughtered by powerful people from the most powerful nation in the world. Instead of taking on America and fighting for justice for its poor, India is more than happy to sell its dead cheap.
Rs 1 lakh for every body. Rs 25,000 for every blinded eye. This is the cost of poor in a failed state.Yes this clearly re-instates the fact, that in India you can kill thousands of people and still walk away smiling, freely. This is not happening for the first time. People with rash and drunkard driving are roaming around freely, politicians responsible for murder of many people are now our respected ministers. Very true this government is "With you, for you, always"....I wonder why can't  we have an option to choose none of above while voting and why can't those loosing guys be barred for next 5 attempts.......!!

Tuesday, June 01, 2010

A small town boy..!!

A small town boy, born at a place which can be considered farm away from today's world, looks back at a lot of memories
  • Days spent at school
  • Wondering when will he get a chance to watch TV at home
  • Wondering why his parents are not purchasing a fridge
  • Why he can't go on a holiday every year like others
  • What does it takes to purchase a vehicle
  • Wondering why can't he get into engineering 
  • Whats so special about doing graduation outside his city
  • Listening to stories of all his schoolmates, who were studying outside
  • Feeling alone when he has to step out for the first time out of his home
  • Felling scared of fast moving world around him
  • Feeling ashamed of being from a small town
  • Watching the lifestyle of his fellows in disbelief
  • Wondering how is he lagging behind from everyone around him
  • Repenting for not becoming first engineer in his family
  • Thanking his parents hundreds of times for being there and supporting him
  • Silently shedding tears when he becomes the reason for taunts for his family
  • Getting disturbed by his ex-schoolmates' comments on him
  • Feeling content on getting admission in a good collage after his repetitive efforts
  • Again getting depressed on not getting a job as per his parent's expectations
  • Hiding his tears when he has to leave his sibling alone for his graduation
  • Feeling proud of him on his graduation  day
  • Learning about life after backstabbing and being bullied by his seniors at job
He thinks how far he has traveled till date, smiles and starts afresh  for his walk of life ahead...
This is the story of every other guy from a small town who has migrated and placed himself into the society dominated by so called residents of big cities....

Aren't you one of them?