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May 18, 2007
Chouhan Disrupted
The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister was in the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday, May 16, 2007. A few of us from AID, FOSA, NBA and Ruckus Society participated in a private luncheon that the MP CM and his delegation was having with the investors from the area.
The luncheon started with the delegation painting a beautiful picture of why Madhya Pradesh is the ideal destination for investment and how they would bend over backwards to get the dollars and pounds. Speaker after speaker reiterated how anything and everything was negotiable for the investors and how every obstacle will be removed for the investments.
When the MP CM took the podium and started talking, two of us unfurled a banner asking them to fulfill their responsibility in Narmada and Bhopal before coming across seas and wooing investors. The message went loud and clear across the hall and the delegates and investors were taken by surprise. The volunteers were ejected and the CM continued to propagandize about the state and its investment opportunities but he appeared to be a little thrown off by the incident.
As he wrapped his speech, the CM wanted to clear up the cloud hanging over Narmada and Bhopal and started making his stance saying all was well with the communities and they have been taken care more in a much better manner than promised. At this point, a volunteer started distributing fliers saying why we shouldn't trust this man as he has made many many such false promises.
When the CM finished his rejoinder to the protest, one of us stood up and said she had been to the valley and the compensation was woefully inadequate and if he continued in this manner, the SEZs in his state will become like Nandigram. She was ejected from the room and they also attributed her speech to ignorance about ground realities in Madhya Pradesh because she lives in California.
At this point, two of us left the room and left more fliers in the bags that the Madhya Pradesh delegation had assembled to give to the attendees (but left it carelessly outside the room).
In the Q and A session, a volunteer questioned their credibility about Bhopal and Narmada to which the answers were indirect and reeked ignorance. Some of us followed them to the car with our questions.
At a separate event in the evening, one other person showed up to question Mr. Chouhan on his relief and rehabilitation package for the Bhopalis and Narmada dam oustees, a visibly upset Chouhan refused to answer the question and the delegates, organizers asked the volunteer to leave as they did not want more problems like the afternoon.
It is deplorable that public servants come to the US on public money in the name of doing good for the public but sit in private board rooms and not answer questions from the citizenry.
Posted by zinda at 06:24 AM | Comments (0)
May 07, 2007
Now you can raise awareness about Bhopal without having to organize a whole event
How, you ask?
THE TOURING BHOPAL AND MASKS ART EXHIBITS!
Both are incredible ways to raise awareness about Bhopal and Dow Chemical and both are available right now.
You can hang it in your school, at a local church, or café or even in city municipal buildings!
Reserve one today!
BHOPAL PHOTO EXHIBIT - BY RAGHU RAI (24 pieces)
This exhibit is incredibly powerful, if you haven’t hosted it yet, you should. You can preview the entire exhibit here:
This has been traveling for 5 years so it is a little beat up, but it remains incredibly powerful.
BEHIND THE MASK OF DOW – by PAUL PHARE (18 pieces + introductory board)
So you already hosted the Raghu Rai exhibit and want to do something new?
This hard hitting art exhibit was designed to counter Dow Chemical’s Human Element Campaign, it features several pieces about Bhopal but also discusses Agent Orange, climate change, selling feed stocks for possible chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein in the 80’s, Dow’s messes in Louisiana and other US disaster sites. It opens with a copy of Dow’s PR featuring an Indian child, and a parallel mock Dow ad with a Bhopali survivor to illustrate vividly how Dow is trying to cover up its crimes in Bhopal and the world over with this Human Element Ad campaign.
Both exhibits are great for raising awareness as a lead up to a talk or event or just to keep interest and awareness of Bhopal alive in your community or school. Just send me an email if you would like reserve either one and for what dates! Thanks, Aquene
KEY THINGS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT (courtesy of Ryan)
Firstly, the exhibit is in constant rotation, so we ask that folks that host the exhibit bear the cost of sending it to its next destination, wherever that may be. The US Postal Service usually offers the best rates, and when you include insurance ($500 on each box) the total cost of shipping is never more than $90-$110. Less for the Mask Art Exhibit.
As for how to hang them, painter's tape usually works when applied liberally. They may still have a few hooks on the back, though I remember trying to get them removed, because unless people are careful packing the photos, the hooks in the back can cause scratching. And velcro or easels always works just fine. The photos themselves are on a lightweight, styrofoam backing, and while they were formerly bordered in a thin black frame, I think that's mostly succumbed to the fraying I mentioned (I don't know for sure; I haven't seen the exhibit myself in over a year, while it's been on rotation). You can also use easels which are fairly cheap to buy online if you haven’t found any you can use in the display facility.
Aquene Freechild
Program Associate
Environmental Health Fund
617-524-6018
Cell: 617-378-2579
Posted by bhola at 08:13 PM | Comments (0)