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March 31, 2006
Thursday March 30th: life on the pavement at Jantar Mantar, catching up with the news, how Dow is killing India's peacocks, some important meetings and we see the documentary of our padyatra
The day began with a meeting, late for us, it happened at about 10 a.m. to review yesterday's meetings with the ministers and to discuss the day and days ahead.
Delhi's newest radio star, the charming Rachna at our morning meeting
Sathyu read out a letter of support from Congressman Pallone and 19 colleagues in the US House of Representatives
There is some incredulity and no small amount of disappointment among the Bhopalis who have walked to far for so long that as of yet there has been no response from the Prime Minister's office.
We distributed leaflets to passers by who were curious. After this people sat around in our camping ground on the pavement at Jantar Mantar and relaxed. Some called home.
Laxmi Bai did her washing and carefully hung it out to dry on the railings. Our people may be living rough, but they keep themselves and their clothes scrupulously clean. The saris make a fabulous display, billowing behind us in the breeze.
There is a great deal of interest in the papers. People are eager to know how the media are reporting our march and our demands. Some people scan the internet with laptops.
Nity came across a story about how peacocks, India's national bird, are becoming endangered, partly because of poaching but largely because they are being poisoned by pesticides. Chlorpyrifos, Dow's Dursban, is the main culprit.
Tehelka has today published a good article, which asks the question on everyone's lips:
"Two decades after the tragedy, ailing gas victims are compelled to drink poisoned water. Will the prime minister help this time, or leave them to their slow death?"
During the morning we received a phone call from Oscar Fernandes' office to tell us that he had already sent a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to make an appointment with the Bhopalis and their supporters.
Sandeep Dixit came to visit us
In the middle of the afternoon we received a visit from Sandeep Dixit, son of the Chief Minister of Delhi and a member of Parliament representing East Delhi. Mr. Dixit runs Sanket, a progressive NGO that has done a lot of economic and social research on Bhopal. He immediately took off his sandals and sat down on our blanket in the middle of all the Bhopalis and listened to Shazadi explain the desperate situation.
He gave us useful advice about who we should see to discuss the National Commission and who to talk to about the issue Dow's liability.
While he was with us he tried to call Suresh Pachori, the MP and Minister in charge of the Central Bureau of Investigation, about setting up a meeting about what is happening regarding the prosecution of Warren Anderson and other guilty parties. Mr. Dixit also thought we should see Kamal Nath, the Minister of Commerce, about banning Dow Products in India, and that we should see Health Minister Ram Dass about all health issues. He immediately made several phone calls to try to pave the way for us to meet with all of these people.
Father John comes to call
We also had some visitors, including the Jesuit Father John, from the New Delhi school Vidhya Jyoti, which banned Pepsi from its cafeteria. Father John has been a friend of the Bhopal justice campaign for a long time. Other visitors included Mr. Murali, the lawyer who recently won the case which made the interest on the compensation money available to the survivors, and Usha Ramanathan, who is also a legal academician who supports the Bhopal campaign.
At 5 p.m. several Bhopalis and supporters including Rachna, Irfan Bhai, Madhu, and Champa Devi, met with Mr. Nachiappan, MP, a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, which has agreed to collect information (from us and from the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, for instance) on the situation in Bhopal and make recommendations to Parliament. Mr. Nachiappan focuses specifically on human rights issues.
With Member of Parliament Mr. Nachiappan
Despite the slow-grinding wheels of state and the fact that we still have no appointment to see the man whom we have walked 800 kilometers to meet, spirits are high, our people are in good voice.
As it grew dark people crowded round a screen to see the documentary that Sudhir has shot of our long march from Bhopal.
Posted by bhola at 04:49 PM | Comments (0)
Wednesday 29th afternoon: heartening meeting with Minister of Chemicals, Narmada campaigners come over and entertain us with street dances, everyone sleeps in the street
Several Bhopalis and supporters, including Champa Devi, Shahid Noor, Sathyu and Rachna met with Ram Vilas Paswan, the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers at 5 p.m. The meeting was productive enough that the group has decided to postpone any hunger strike until after a meeting with the Prime Minister himself, a meeting which is anticipated some time next week.
Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister for Chemicals
Minister Paswan with the Bhopali delegation
TV interview after the meeting
After meeting with Mr. Paswan, the representative group had a meeting with Mr. Oscar Fernandes, who presently handles three ministerial portfolios and heads the party's Central Election Authority. The meeting was very positive, Mr. Fernandes has agreed to forward our request for an appointment with the Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Bhopalis and their supporters sat at Jantar Mantar. Across the street is a large group of people displaced by the huge Narmada dam project in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. At one point this evening, some of them came over and performed a special dance for the Bhopalis. There is a strong sense that we are strongly connected and fighting a single, broader problem - putting corporations and profits over human lives, of governments like India's handing over the fate of its poorest citizens to the highest bidders.
Narmada activists and supporters came to visit the Bhopalis and sang and danced for them, the two campaigns have always been close allies and good friends
Then the Bhopalis danced for the Narmadans
For the first time tonight, everyone is sleeping on the street, in the spot where they sat all day, at Jantar Mantar. There will be another meeting in the morning to discuss where to go from here.
First night on the pavement at Jantar Mantar, Delhi
Sathyu relaxes after a hard day at the Ministry
Posted by bhola at 09:19 AM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2006
Wednesday 29th morning: Positive noises from the Ministry of Chemicals, grim determination from the Bhopalis, details of Shweta's arrest and our very own Rachna is a radio star
After the bruising encounters of yesterday the Bhopalis were back, undaunted, in Jantar Mantar this morning. Ashraaf Bee and Bano Bee, who had both been hospitalised after being kicked and struck by police, were determined to take part.
Ashraaf Bee, the morning after being released from hospital
Bano Bee, the morning after, determined as ever. Just look at the expressions on those faces. The Bhopalis are not going to be pushed around. These people have seen prime ministers, chief ministers and chief executives come and go. Their anger and determination grow as the injustice deepens day by day and year by year. They will never give up until they have won all their demands.
During the morning, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers offered two meetings and apologised for the ruckus of yesterday. Apparently they had been planning to meet the Bhopalis at 4pm, but by then they were being arrested.
Sign at Ministry of Chemicals
At 11 a.m. several representatives met with the Secretary of the Ministry, who listened to them elaborate on the demands and why it is so crucial to honour them. The meeting was positive.
We staged a press conference at 3:30pm, right on the street at Jantar Mantar. Photos and details about yesterday's police attack were supplied to the press.
The chosen representatives of the Bhopalis were then set to meet the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers himself at 5 p.m. A press release is expected soon with the outcome of that meeting, which will also determine whether tomorrow we begin a hunger strike.
Champa didi is interviewed at Jantar Mantar
Shehzadi gives an interview
Meanwhile the Bhopalis are sitting by the curb at Jantar Mantar beneath banners, signs and photos. Some people have been curious enough to pull over their cars, get out, and ask what's going on. Most people are sympathetic, it's clear from the tone of their remarks and of almost every press report that 21 years is enough, indeed, too much. People are sickened by yesterday's brutal treatment of elderly ladies who walked 800km because they believe that democracy has some value. Nobody likes to see people who have endured so much suffering marginalised and sacrificed for the dubious benefit of having Dow Chemicals and its subsidiaries operating in India.
Ashraaf leaving hospital late last night, helped by Nity
The nearby Golda Khana Gurudwara on Bab Kharak Singh Marg has very kindly agreed to make and deliver dinner to our people this evening.
Shweta's story
When they came for me, they begged me to stand up. I said, "It is not my will to go, if you want me to go, you will have to carry me - I am not thin!" It took several policewomen (policemen are not allowed to touch women). They grabbed my arms and legs, and carried me for a bit and then, exhausted, said, "Let's just leave her behind." But a policeman came over and said they had to take me. So they had to carry me to the bus, put me in the bus, carry me out of the bus and to the police station. But I could see they were concerned, my legs were splayed apart, my shirt pulled up, one even pulled it down around me.
When we all got to the police station the women were separated from the men and we gave the policewomen a hard time, chanting "Chai, we want tea, chai, chai". And women were calling, "Why are you treating us so badly? What would you do if you lost your husband at a young age, with young children to support? What if you carried your baby for nine months and he is born dead? What if you breast fed your child knowing your milk is poisoned? Or if you had to give your kids polluted water to drink. You say you are just doing your duty. Why is it not your duty to protect us? Why is it not your duty to drag the corrupt officials out of their offices and put them in jail?"
I could see that most of the policewomen were touched. Some had tears. There was one particularly tough one and we kept at it, until even she too was moved.
Rachna the radio star
Starting several days before the padyatras arrival in Delhi, Radio Mirchi began covering the marchers' progress daily. Radio Mirchi is one of the most popular radio stations in Delhi, with 40 lakh (4 million) listeners daily. Rachna was speaking on air everyday from her cell phone.
They originally told us that they wanted to cover the padyatra up until its arrival on the 27th, but once we got here they called to say they wanted to continue indefinitely because their listeners were so charmed by Rachna.
"We got 16 calls right after we hung up with you, yesterday," they told her. "Our listeners can hardly believe your energy and charm for someone who has just walked 800 kilometers."
The ever-charming Rachna lamenting her blisters. She has forbidden us to show this picture, so here it is
Posted by bhola at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2006
Tuesday 28th, late evening: 55 year old woman marcher knocked unconscious by a blow is threatened with surgical exploration of her abdomen : "Then you'll really have pain"
Jail update, 22:30 Indian time, police let Bhopalis go
FROM SARVADARSHI IN DELHI
SENT 9.30pm IST, RECEIVED 17:05 BRITISH SUMMER TIME
4pm IST, Bano Bee, 55, is struck in the chest and knocked unconscious
Her limp body is carried away by police
...And placed in a jeep
At 4.01pm IST a kick in the chest knocks Ashraaf Bee, 60, senseless. Both women had walked 800km to see the Prime Minister
Bano Bee and Ashraaf Bee were taken unconscious from the rally and left at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, a hospital chosen by the police.
The conditions in the hospital were horrendous. Neither Ashraaf Bee nor Bano Bee were given their own bed, but were stuffed onto single beds with other, unrelated patients.
They were extremely distraught about the way they were treated both by the police and by the doctors in the casualty ward.
The doctor accused Bano Bee who is 55 years old, of malingering and threatened to explore her abdomen surgically to reveal the truth. "Then you'll really have pain," the doctor told her, "You can hold your stomach and walk around in pain instead of pretending."
The hospital refused to let them see their own chest x-rays, giving them instead only a written report that they were fine.
They have been released and are back at the camp near Humayun's tomb. We have decided they need independent medical examination because we suspect that the hospital is in collusion with the police to minimise and falsify their injuries. Right now they are waiting for some other doctors to arrive at the camp.
JAIL UPDATE, 22:43 IST, 18:13 BST
We don't have an exact number of people originally arrested in front
of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, but we estimate it to be
between 200 and 300. We do know that among those arrested were 35
children (age 12 and under), including many infants.
Within just a few hours, the police offered to drop everybody off at
Jantar Mantar, where they could be cordoned off and comfortably
controlled by the police. But these Bhopalis were absolutely livid at
how they had been treated after walking 800 km. They refused the
offer, realizing the cops desperately wanted them out of their
custody. The police had neither the time nor the resources to do the
paperwork as well as feed and shelter so many people all at once. The
Bhopalis did not want to let these these thugs off so easily -- how
dare they yank and drag them across the pavement from where they were
sitting peacefully, stuff them in buses, cart them to the jail, and
then hope for it all to end conveniently for themselves. People
started shouting spontaneously, "We are not afraid! We will spend the
night in jail!"
The police were slowly beginning to realize they had underestimated
how tough and determined the padyatris and other Bhopalis are. After
a bold stand by 38 people who were then arrested and jailed, the
police decided that even a few Bhopalis were far more than they wanted
to deal with, and all the remaining arrestees were separated and
compelled to leave.
Currently, everyone is out of jail.
The day had started off peacefully in the spirit of the long march, which had been marked by songs and dancing, and the walkers nurturing a naive trust that the Prime Minister of India would listen to their problems.
The marchers and their supporters from Bhopal, among whom were whole families with children, had gone to hold a rally outside the Ministry of Chemicals. The "Bhopal Cell" in this ministry is ultimately responsible for the well-being of the survivors of the gas- and water-catastrophes.
There were so many police outside the ministry that the photographer who took these pictures could hardly see the Bhopalis, who were outnumbered by the cops.
The crowd of Bhopalis, which was there by arrangement, had no idea of what was about to happen. The picture below was taken at 15:36 IST, shortly before the police attacked.
15:42 IST and still no inkling of what lay ahead.
Madhumitta Dutta, who had been talking to the police, was the first to be grabbed.
15:56 IST and they attempt to arrest Chhoté Khan. The rest of his story was told in pictures sent by Sarvadarshi and posted in the update before this one.
Within a couple of minutes Bano Bee was struck in the chest, collapsed and was carried, senseless, to a police jeep.
A minute after the previous picture was taken, with fear spreading among the mothers with young children, Ashraaf Bee was kicked in the chest and collapsed.
Women with children were not spared. There were between 200-300 people in the crowd of Bhopalis, a large number of them were children. Some children had been brought from Bhopal precisely because it is their young generation which is bearing the pain caused by Carbide's birth-defect causing chemicals. Look at the children on this page and read their stories.
35 children under 12 years old were taken into police custody.
Even as the police buses, ordered up and on the spot before the marchers and their families even arrived, carried them away, the people were singing.
Throughout every footsore mile of their extraordinary journey, these people have refused to be daunted, have kept up their spirits with dancing and song. This setback will only strengthen their determination to win justice.
Posted by bhola at 06:03 PM | Comments (0)
Update, Tuesday 28th: 350 Bhopalis carted off to jail, but you are "not under arrest" say police, merely detained without charge - four women walkers in hospital - Ashraaf Bee in serious condition
UPDATE 13:41 BRITISH SUMMER TIME
Ok, everyone still has their phones -- they are at the Parliament Street police station, where they are have "not been arrested" (to hell with any legal definition of arrest) because the police, according to Madhu, are too lazy to do the paperwork. So no charges yet. Names and addresses have been taken for 7 or 8 people the police perceive as leaders. The group refused to enter the police station, saying that to do so would mean to thin out and separate, which they were not willing to do. They told the police to come out of the station and talk to them on the lawn, where they were still sitting when I talked to Madhu about 20 minutes ago. Madhu says the police offered to bus everyone to Jantar Mantar, the official protest zone for all activists, where we were yesterday. The group refused, however, saying they didn't want to go to Jantar Mantar, they want to be taken right back to where they were rudely picked up, in front of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, the people who are responsible for Bhopal. So that's the standoff right now.
THE BAD NEWS -- as we suspected, the people who had to be carried away by the police were not just playing limp to be difficult -- they had passed out unconscious from a combination of old age, heat, dehydration, and sheer terror of the police. Right now there are four padyatris in the emergency unit of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital: Munee Bee, Ashraf Bee, Nafisa Bee, and Bano Bee. The group at the police station received a phone call from the hospital saying that Ashraf Bee was in bad condition. She is the oldest of the four. One of us is going to the hospital in search of them.
Ashraaf Bee, 60, kicked in the chest by police and was taken unconscious to hospital where her condition is reported serious. Read Ashraaf Bee's story here.
Bano Bee was hit in the chest, fell unconscious and is in hospital. Both women needed chest x-rays.
I am going to stay here and send photos and more info as I receive it. Because the police struck early, not all the press people we wanted were there to cover it, so we need to try to get the photos and info out to them.
Photos coming within minutes.
"Sarvadarshi" in Delhi
Update from hospital received 15:11
I just talked to *****, who is at the hospital. Apparently Nafeesa and Munni Bee are fine and just ended up in the hospital somehow as companions to Ashraaf Bee and Bano Bee, who are not fine, but will be ok. Ashraaf Bee says she was kicked in the chest as she was arrested and fell unconscious immediately thereafter. Bano Bee says she was hit in the chest while being arrested. She, too, fell unconscious. Both of them have been given chest x-rays, results pending. Bano Bee is still feeling faint and generally unwell. We expect them to be released tonight, though. These are elderly women and the fact that the police behaved in a way that allowed them to sustain any blows to the chest is just really unforgivable.
Sarvadarshi
Pictures follow:
Munné Khan surprised
Wins temporary respite
Is finally arrested
Guddi Bee is arrested
Nity bundled off
Sathyu caught
Sathyu arguing with cops
Women police
Mother and child are arrested
The Bhopalis make a spirited departure and sang in the buses that took them away
Posted by bhola at 01:47 PM | Comments (0)
STOP PRESS Tuesday 28th afternoon: Mass arrests of Bhopalis, women who had walked 800km to see the Prime Minister knocked unconscious as police get rough
13:00 UK SUMMER TIME - MESSAGE RECEIVED FIVE MINUTES AGO
From "Sarvadarshi" in Delhi
At 3:45, 45 minutes before the promised allowed time to be in front of the Shastri Bhavan (where the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers is, the deparmentt responsible for taking care of affected Bhopalis) the police took down the barricades and arrested everbody - a sudden, clear, vicious, and absolutely predictable backstab.
Only a couple of people escaped, including **** and maybe *****. We're not sure. We had to run away to get out of there without having our camera footage taken away.
A few people you may know who we are sure were arrested:
Sathyu, Madhu, Nity, Dharmesh, Shweta, Shahid Noor. We did not see: Champa Devi, Rashida Bee, Irfan bhai, Suroopa, Sateesh.
Everyone else: almost definitely arrested. There were about 100
people sitting there. Madhu was the first to go. Nity soon after, Sathyu next. Madhu was the one who was negotiating with the police the most.
The cops mercifully did not do any violent beatings that I could see, but many people were manhandled - including two women who fell unconscious after being roughly handled - they were dragged, yanked, and shoved into buses. There were several busloads in all.
UPDATE, 13:35: More than 200 people including 35 infants have been arrested and taken to Parilament Street Police Station. In the process 2 gas survivors, Bano Bee, 55 and Ashraaf Bee, 60, fell unconscious and were taken to the hospital with two other women Nafisa Bee and Munni Bee who were also taken to the hospital.
LATEST UPDATE, 13:41: Ashraaf Bee and Bano Bee are too sick to be released from the hospital. Doctors at Ram Manohar Hospital have admitted these women after examinig them.
There were about three times as many cops as activists (NYPD style). Lots of huge sticks, big vests, helmets, and about 10 trucks and buses filled with these thugs. The whole street was clogged up with cops.
Special effort was made to prevent us from photographing. The videographers escaped successfully as far as we know, but we're not sure. Last saw *****, *****, and ***** as they fled.
I do not mean this to be a blog entry - do announce it on the web, I will be sending a formal blog entry with the whole day's story very soon. I am going to try to find someone who escaped and see about the news from jail, if we can get any.
They were all singing in the buses as they were driven away.
The Bhopal gas survivors who have walked 800 kms from Bhopal, had gathered outside the Ministry of Chemicals demanding to meet Mr Paswan, Minister of Chemicals and Ho'n Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh. The Bhopal survivors were told that the two ministers were not available to meet them, instead what they recieved was the highhanded treatement of this administration.
WRITE OR FAX YOUR REACTION TO THE INDIAN PRIME MINISTER AND ALSO TO THE PARLIAMENT STREET POLICE STATION.
PARLIAMENT STREET POLICE STATION NUMBER
91 11 23361231 EXT 3481
Posted by bhola at 01:00 PM | Comments (0)
March 27, 2006
Day 35 & 36: Driving away the dark with Narmada friends, 600 join us from Bhopal for our march on Parliament: as the march ends, the battle begins
Day 35: Sunday, March 26th, 2006
Sunday was the prescribed day of rest for the group. We stayed for most of the day here at the Bharat Scout and Guide Camp facility.
Just before noon we entered an empty, ancient building just a hundred meters or so away and had a big meeting about what was going on in Delhi and what the next day would be like.
Biju and Dr. Jai arrived by train in the morning and they along with another, local doctor examined everyone who had decided to sit on the hunger strike.
Dr Anod checks Nafisa
And Gulab Bai
Almost half of those examined did not pass and were advised by the doctors not to stop eating.
In the early evening we all left our things here and headed several kilometers away to India Gate, one of Delhi's most outstanding landmarks. We wanted to join activists who are now in Delhi to fight the Narmada dam project, which has destroyed a huge area of land in three states -- Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. India Gate is surrounded by huge ceremonial grounds covered in grass and criss-crossed with foot paths and wide boulevards.
It was Sunday night and there were thousands upon thousands of people out enjoying the evening.
We couldn't find the Narmada activists for a while. As it turned out, they had been held up by a scuffle with the police at the place where many of them are currently hunger striking. They did arrive, however, after a couple of hours, accompanied by world renowned writer Arundhati Roy, who warmly greeted us and joined with everyone in a candlelight vigil.
The vigil quickly turned into a candlelit song circle - together as one we sang both all the songs about Bhopal and all the songs about Narmada.
People from all over the park came and squeezed their way through the crowd to get a closer look and hear what we were singing about.
Dinner, cooked by the canteen here at the Scout camp, was waiting for us when we got back here. Sleep came quickly after that.
Day 36, Monday, March 27th, 2006
Today was both exhilarating and extremely difficult. We woke up
shortly after sunrise and began walking back to the park about half a kilometer away. As we made our way over there, a huge, winding crowd of people came walking down the road -- 600 Bhopalis who had taken the train all night to join us here in Delhi for the last leg of our march to the government center. It was a beautiful thing to see.
There were people of all ages, from the people nearly 100 years old to countless babies and small children carried by their mothers and fathers. Many of them were family members of the padyatris, sweetly reunited after weeks of worry from both sides about all kinds of problems back at home in Bhopal as well as here on the padyatra.
Shehzadi greeting her family
Breakfast for the new arrivals
After spending some time in the park sitting together and happily catching up, we got up and prepared for our walk to the center of Delhi.
Sadhus making ready flags bearing the padyatra symbol
Garlands of flowers were handed out to all those who had walked on the march. The group stretched for blocks and blocks as we moved through the streets of Delhi.
BBC picture of the apparently endless procession winding through Delhi
Despite getting almost no sleep on the train from Bhopal, everyone seemed almost explosively energetic and loudly shouted and sang the whole way. "Phul nahin, chingaari hain!!" - "We are not flowers, but flames!"
At about noon we reached Jantar Mantar, Delhi's main place of protest for grievances of all kinds. There we found ourselves in the company of several other groups who had come to Delhi, including the people fighting the Narmada dam project. Tear gas was fired upon at least one other group, and many cops threatened crowds with the thick wooden sticks they carry.
Nimmi handling the situation
The cops surrounding the Bhopalis were relatively calm and unaggressive. Nity did scold them at one point for driving away people who were approaching, curious to find out why we were there. "These people didn't walk all the way from Bhopal just to talk to a line of police!"
Collage: "Determined women". Click for larger image
We stayed at Jantar Mantar until just before sunset. Many people are sick this evening. Rashida Bi suffered for most of the day with a high fever and several other people have fevers along with vomiting and diarrhoea. Some people became severely dehydrated during the day and at least one woman who had just come from Bhopal over night collapsed from exhaustion. Our accommodations are being pushed to their limits by the number of people here now. Every bed is taken and about 100 people are sleeping on the ground between the small buildings here.
WE NEED HELP
Please do whatever you can to support the Bhopalis from wherever you are, even if it means just sending a fax or email to the Prime Minister. This is a critical moment. Tomorrow people will stop eating. Today we were promised a meeting with Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi in the next few days, but there are no guarantees and we need all the help we can get to gain more attention from the Indian government. Everyone has come so far and is so exhausted, some very sick.
For now, a little bit of sleep for these 650 Bhopalis on shared patches of floor, under shared blankets, ever hopeful.
Older entries from beginning of the march
Posted by bhola at 08:38 PM | Comments (0)
Bhopal survivors launch indefinite dharna demonstration at Parliament Street
NEW DELHI, 26 March, 2006 -- More than 600 people took out a rally to the Parliament Street in New Delhi concluding an 800km march from Bhopal to New Delhi by 39 Bhopalis, demanding justice and a life of dignity for people poisoned by American multinational Union Carbide. Starting today, the Bhopalis will be on dharna (demonstration) until their demands are met.
The Bhopalis were joined by representatives from a pollution-impacted community in Daurala, silicosis victims from among quarry workers in Lalkuan, cycle rickshaw drivers association, workers from Wazirpur, students from Delhi University and JNU, Narmada Bachao Andolan activists, and trade unions and NGOs.
Despite more than a month’s notice to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Bhopalis have yet to receive an appointment to meet Mr. Manmohan Singh. The PMO and Sonia Gandhi’s offices have assured them of an appointment between 27 and 31 March.
"It is unfortunate that the Government treats our life and death issues so casually. We are tired of repeating the same demands for 21 years and returning with empty promises from successive prime ministers. This time, we will not return to Bhopal with mere promises; we will leave Delhi only after all our six demands are fulfilled," said Goldman award winner and survivor-activist Champa Devi Shukla.
Champa Devi was part of a 100-women delegation that marched from Bhopal to Delhi in June 1989 to meet then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. They returned with promises that remain unfulfilled to date.
Bhopal is the site of a second ongoing disaster. More than 20,000 people are being forced to drink water contaminated by chemicals leaking from the abandoned Union Carbide factory - a May 2004 Supreme Court order directing the Madhya Pradesh Government to provide clean water has to date been ignored. In 2001, a scientific study found high levels of toxic contaminants, including mercury, in mother’s milk in the water-affected communities. Large numbers of children in these communities are born with birth defects.
The 800-km march and subsequent sit-in in New Delhi is prompted by a growing closeness between the Government of India and Union Carbide’s owner Dow Chemical. Also, as summer approaches, the water-affected communities are particularly concerned about the drinking water situation. "It doesn't take much to provide us drinking water. Every day, we hear about mega industrial investments. How is it that they find water for industries when they can't find any for the country's poor?” asks an irate Shameem Ahmad, a resident of Atal Ayub Nagar, where scientists found extremely high levels of trichlorobenzene and mercury in the water from community handpumps.
Survivors are also agitated that the Prime Minister has personally directed the Planning Commission to take steps to facilitate investments by Dow Chemical in India. Incidentally, the Prime Minister has met the CEO of Dow Chemical twice, including in March 2006, when the latter visited India as part of a 10-member CEO delegation that accompanied US President George Bush.
Posted by bhola at 08:35 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2006
Day 34: Delhi, after the traffic and pollution, a restful park, a street play and Humayun's tomb
BREAKING NEWS: PRESS RELEASE • LATEST NEWS COVERAGE
Day 34: Saturday - March 25, 2006
We crossed the Haryana border into Delhi within an hour of beginning to walk from Faridabad this morning. The border patrol asked for an entry tax of Rs. 550. We told them they could choose between Rs. 50 or nothing at all. Rs. 50 it was. And with that we proudly marched into Delhi, amidst the most formidable flow of traffic we had seen during the whole padyatra.
We took up the far left lane of the road, amidst hundreds of bicycle commuters and buses packed with people hanging out of every opening. As there were few other pedestrians, we ended up handing out fliers mostly to people in the windows of these buses.
This highway corridor, Mathura Road, houses manufacturing plants of some of the biggest companies in India and the world - Yamaha, Escorts, JCB, Bhartia, Orient Fans, etc. However, looking at the lack of sanitation and dumping of the industrial waste on the side of the highways and public spaces told a shameful story. Nity, having joined the padyatra from Chennai via Delhi, was giving a running commentary on the type of waste passing by and its resulting health ailments.
Suddenly, a half-filled plastic water bottle comes flying out of a bus and lands on the shoulder of the road beside us. Instinctively, I picked it up to dispose later in a more appropriate manner. Nity amused at my idealistic behaviour remarked, "You realise that there probably is no better place to dump that bottle than here." Of course, seeing piles of discarded asbestos and toxic sludge around, a plastic bottle is least of the worries.
A shrine in the middle of the highway
Although it was still fairly early, the heat was blistering, suddenly Munni Bai slumped to the ground.
Thankfully after a few minutes rest and some water, she was recovered and we carried on.
At about 9:30 a.m., we arrived at the Pandit Cis Ram Park just a few blocks away from Mathura Road. The park was a group of manicured gardens with fresh lawns, flowers, trees, and benches, and most people ended up falling sleep in patches of shade.
Lilabai gathers a bouquet, then says "here, you have them"
After a few hours, lunch was given to us by union leaders.
We still had a few more kilometers to walk in the afternoon. Traffic thickened and intensified as we proceeded further into the city. Rachna and Sathyu led the slogans calling, hum sub ek hain (We are all one) and saaf paani laana hai, paidal dilli jaana hai.
We'll have to walk to Delhi, daughter
We occupied a single lane on the highway, and got a variety of looks as we handed out the leaflets to vehicles and people passing. The looks ranged from frustration to admiration. One man asked me in an incredulous tone - kyaa aap sachmuch bhopal se paidal aayen hain? (have you really come on foot from Bhopal)? When we told him we had, his stunned look of admiration spoke volumes.
We were welcomed by and presented with 1200+ signatures from the citizens of Delhi, three banners signed by students to express unity with the cause, and many dignitaries wanting to salute the resolve and determination of the padyatris. These include Arundhati Roy, Union Minister for Urban Development Jaipal Reddy, D. Raja (CPI), representatives from AITUC, CITU, HMS and NTUI, Lok Sabha MP Sandeep Dixit, student union leaders from JNU, and representatives of non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
We were greeted by a large crowd of people at about 4 p.m. at a large park near Humayun's Tomb on the south side of Delhi. Garlands of flowers were enthusiastically draped over all the marchers' necks and the crowd of everyone together alternated between cheers, chants, and songs before a large collection of journalists and video cameras.
The padyatris then were able to look at an exhibition that had been prepared of photos taken on the march.
Everyone was served a special drink made from yogurt, peppers, and spices, several passionate speeches were made by both padyatris as well as supporters. After some time, one group of supporters put on a fantastically prepared play with a cast of about five people playing the roles of G.W. Bush and leaders of India.
The mini-drama blasted Bush and the Indian leadership that bends over backwards to accommodate his awful agenda and the army of transnational corporate monsters he represents. The dialogue was extremely clever and funny and the whole crowd was laughing throughout the performance.
At the end of the day but well before sunset, we arrived at the nearby Bharat Scouts and Leaders Camp, the exact place where marchers on the first padyatra stayed in 1989. It is a campus with modest accommodations in metal bunks in concrete huts. Attached to the door was this sign:
Older entries from beginning of the march
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March 25, 2006
Days 31-33: A rest day in Palwal, CNN joins the march, a soccer game and a rally in the outskirts of Delhi
Day 31: Wednesday, March 22
We decided to stay for another night, making Wednesday the closest thing to a day of rest we've had on the whole padyatra. After a slow morning of chai and laundry, we began a group meeting at 11 a.m.
First on the agenda was our schedule. A large portion of the meeting
was dedicated to discussing who was going to sit on the hunger strike,
and who and how many people would or could meet with the Prime Minister to discuss the demands. We discussed how the day might unfold
on the 28th (when the hunger strike would begin) and what the
conditions would be for ending the hunger strike. A debate arose over
the issue of tobacco smoking -- the group widely agreed that smoking
could not be permitted among anyone sitting on the hunger strike, and
it was suggested that any smokers planning on participating quit
immediately, before the strike. A doctor will come to the group in
Delhi on the 26th to check everyone out, especially in regards to the
hunger strike.
That afternoon, a few reporters came for an informal press conference.
No plans were formed for exploring Palwal. Everyone was extremely
tired and was enjoying just lounging around for the day. After a very
spicy dinner of dal, rice, and roti, people fell into a long round of
singing, drums, and bells while a small team cooked a special treat to
end the day -- a huge pot of khir, which is made with rice, milk, and
coconut.
Day 32: Thursday, March 23
We didn't leave the dharmsha until about 7 in the morning. We sang
and carried banners through the streets of Palwal as the street
vendors set up for the day.
The day before, the owner and several employees of a nearby gas station heard about the padyatra and came over to the dharmshala where we were staying to offer us chai and breakfast the next day. So, we made our way over to the Bhardwaj Service Center and enjoyed pampering by the owner, Mr. Shyamlal, and the whole crew, who served us a couple of rounds of chai and fried sweets.
Mr Shyamlal and his crew from the Bhardwaj Service Centre with Rashida and Champa
Later that morning, once we were out of Palwal and walking past crop
fields again, a news crew from CNN-IBN found the padyatra and began
shooting footage.
CNN interview Shehzadi
The news crews ended up staying with the padyatra for several hours, walking about five kilometers with us and staying with us through our whole lunch break, shooting candid footage as well as conducting interviews with several of the padyatris.
SOME SIGHTS ALONG THE WAY
From the top, camel cart, army horse transporter, bamboo yard
We stopped for lunch in the village of Gadpuri at a beautiful and
shady youth program campus home to about a dozen peacocks.
The reporter from CNN-IBN conducted an interview with a small group
including Champa Devi and Sathyu, who gave some eloquent words about
the importance of responding to Bhopal in setting the tone for what
transnational corporations think they can get away with in India.
Our entry into the outskirts of Ballabgarh marked the very end of any
rural or empty landscape in our journey. Ballabgarh is a dauntingly
industrialized place adjacent to Faridabad, which is adjacent to
Delhi.
We arrived relatively early at the Jila Faridabad Brahmin Sabha Dharmshala, an exceptionally clean place with a huge garden lawn.
Defying fatigue, a large group of padyatris struck up a no-rules game of soccer using a ball they had found here.
Day 33: Friday, March 24
We got off to a late start, not waking up until about 7:30 a.m. A
little after 10 a.m., after packing and preparing for the day,
everyone gathered together for another meeting to discuss details of
our plans in Delhi.
The details of our six demands were made a priority among the topics of discussion. Halfway through the meeting there arrived a large entourage from Delhi, including Madhu, Nity, Nishant, and Suroopa. Nishant and Madhu addressed the group with news from Delhi and developments in the plans for the next few days, which promise to be extremely busy with a packed schedule of events.
Water for trees along the Delhi-Agra tourist route, but none for those whose wells have been poisoned by Union Carbide
Vikas helping Gulab-bai
There is no clear line where Ballabgarh ends and Faridabad begins, and
our walk today was through an uninterrupted urban industrial
landscape.
We are essentially already in greater Delhi -- our journey from this point will be through an increasingly urban scene. The traffic is already completely different -- crowded, clogged, and aggressive. There is suddenly very little room for us on the side of the road and many cars and motorcycles become very impatient, blasting their horns in our ears and tearing by us, missing us by hairs.
We eventually came upon a factory site of the Escorts company, where a
large group of people were awaiting our arrival for a public rally.
Union leader Kamail Singh made us welcome
Rashide speaking at the public rally
Click the small collage to open a larger view
Several people from national union Hind Mazdoor Sabha, Kamail Singh,
Union Leader, and Harish Khatri, team member, had organized the event
and provided us with a delicious meal of dal, rice, roti, spinach,
raita, and fresh onion.
That afternoon, a man driving by read one of our fliers and went and
bought a case of bottled water for the group. He ended up making
several trips back and forth to stores and the marchers to deliver
enough bottles for everyone who wanted or needed one.
A tired Amna
Chhoté Khan snatches forty winks
Halal inspects the hole in his shoe
After a long afternoon walking in the midst of impatient and heavy
traffic, we reached our destination, a dharmshala in a quiet
residential neighborhood in Faridabad. Members of Hind Mazdoor Sabha
generously provided us with another meal in the evening.
In the morning we will cover the last 15 kilometers between here and
our final destination in Delhi, where much is planned for the evening.
Older entries from beginning of the march
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March 24, 2006
Bhopal gas victims to meet PM, demand a life of dignity
March 24, 2006
By Indo Asian News Service
Faridabad (Haryana), March 24 (IANS) Around 60 victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy, on a foot march to New Delhi to meet the prime minister, said Friday they were not in a 'mood to compromise' and wanted a life of dignity.
CNN interview Shehzadi and the other padyatris.
The victims of the 1984 industrial tragedy started their 800-km march from Bhopal to the Indian capital on Feb 20 and have crossed almost 775 km. They are to reach New Delhi Saturday.
'We have been suffering for the past 21 years. We have taken on the arduous task of reaching Delhi by foot and putting our demand in front of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,' said Ram Kishan, a 60-year-old survivor.
'It's our final attempt to meet the prime minister and we are not in a mood to compromise. Give us employment, medical facility and a life of dignity,' Kishan told IANS.
The victims, including those born after the disaster, Friday held a rally here.
Padyatris addressed a rally in Faridabad
The marchers will be joined in New Delhi on Saturday by around 400 members of the families of survivors of the tragedy, which killed an estimated 20,000 people and maimed several thousands for life.
Rashida, who lost her husband in the leak of poisonous methyl iso cyanate gas from the Union Carbide plant on Dec 2-3, 1984, said: 'Those responsible for causing the contamination and suffering in Bhopal should ensure the clean up of the area.
'They are criminals and our government should ensure that Warren Anderson, the then chief executive officer of Union Carbide, and other officials are punished.'
Satinath Sarangi, a green activist who runs a clinic for the victims, said: 'Twenty one years is enough. The government, especially the prime minister, should look after the welfare of the people and give less attention to the multinationals. Our demand for clean water, health, livelihood and social security are fundamental rights, which need to be safeguarded.'
'People of Bhopal are determined to fight their cause and live a life of dignity,' said Sarangi.
Suroopa Mukherjee, of We for Bhopal, a group of professors and students working for the victims, said that in New Delhi the victims would put forth several demands before the prime minister and other political leaders.
The demands include, clean drinking water, cleaning up of the dumped toxic wastes that Union Carbide left behind, punishment for Warren Anderson and his colleagues, setting up of a national commission for the victims and declaring Dec 3 as a national remembrance day.
'Besides, there should be no business with Dow Chemicals, the company that took over Union Carbide in 2001, till it cleans up the site,' said Mukherjee, who teaches at Delhi's Hindu College.
'We are yet to get time from the prime minister, but have decided not to return to Bhopal before meeting him. He has to listen to our demand and stretch a hand of hope for people like us,' said Champa Devi, 53.
'We don't want another Bhopal to happen in India.'
Copyright Indo-Asian News Service
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March 23, 2006
Days 29 & 30: Aggressive sadhus, a lake full of wrecked cars and thickening pollution as Delhi nears
Day 29: Monday, March 20
After a massive pot of black tea at sunrise, we got back on the shoulder of the highway and began walking.
An elder hamming it up
We had walked about 20 kilometers before we took refuge for food and rest in the village of Kosi Kala Navipur behind the Picnic Palace roadside restaurant, which generously provided us with its two electrical outlets so that we could charge all our various batteries.
The landscape was composed mostly of farms as we made our way our way to the edge of Uttar Pradesh and crossed the border into Haryana, the state in which we will walk the rest of the way to Delhi.
Crossing from Uttar Pradesh into Haryana"
Unfortunately we didn't qualify to pass without paying the toll
Eventually we turned down a dirt road that led us, after about a kilometer, into the center of of a town called Hodal, just a few kilometers inside the Haryana border. Hodal did not look very inviting at first. After passing a lake filled with abandoned cars and vans and progressing down the decrepit main road to the center of town, we ran into a group of of aggressive sadhus demanding money, or "baksheesh", as they led a huge elephant down the middle of the street.
We were pleasantly surprised, however, when we entered the dharmshala where we would stay the night. We had been given a huge room with very clean, tiled floors, with several toilets and bathing stalls. As usual the cooking team worked hard to feed us all. It was particularly difficult to cook here; the area to the back of the sleeping hall that was not at all well ventilated and the people making the rotis often had to take a break from the smoky atmosphere and the heat. Several padyatris, including Jagarnath Das, the unstoppable Gulab Bai (who has been walking every morning now and worked up to three kilometers this morning), Kanchan Bai and Leela Bai, joined with some local people coming to the dharmshala's temple in a few rounds of singing while drumming and ringing bells.
Aspak, Shweta and Dharmesh join the padyatra from Chennai
We were all excited to be less than 100 kilometers from Delhi - IT FEELS REALLY GOOD!! Being so close now as well as having more and more supporters turn up on the side of the road to join us over the last few days has given the group a real boost. Most people it seems have a new found energy and a building sense of anticpation..... WE'RE NEARLY THERE!!
Day 30: Tuesday, March 21
We woke up while it was still completely dark. The air on the pre-dawn streets of Hodal was a choking mix of smoke from small fires set everywhere on the streets to burn off the mixed paper and plastic trash generated over the previous day.
It took a little while, but once we worked our way out of Hodal completely, we could see that Haryana was actually quite a beautiful place to walk.
The landscape was mostly very lush and green with crops and the road is lined almost continuously with tall eucalyptus and other kinds of trees, giving us a little bit of shade much appreciated after so many hundreds of kilometers through the baking, unobstructed sun.
Also the wind blew quite strongly all day - which felt lovely when not combined with the dust from the trucks thundering past.
As we've got closer to Delhi the volume of traffic has inevitably increased. There are now a lot more cars, buses and trucks that go so much faster than the usual bullock carts, taxi rickshaws and the really dangerous wide load tractors that knocked poor Ismail off his feet the day before yesterday. The increase in the volume and speed of traffic is matched by the amount of broken glass littering our path - this is a big problem as most of us are not wearing closed in shoes, and also the now very noticeable pollution haze that seems to hover just a few fields away from the left and right sides of the road when not built up.
For our afternoon rest and meal, we stopped in a village called Bamani Kheda, at a temple with a water pump. The locals were friendly here and interested in the water pollution issue particularly.
We spread out on blankets beneath a couple of trees and inside an empty building, and after a delicious meal cooked quickly, took naps until almost 4 p.m. Not wanting to walk in the dark, we jumped up and threw our belongings together to finish the last 10 to 12 kilometers left between there and Palwal, where we wanted to spend the night.
Palwal is a sprawling and hazy metropolis, one of several near Delhi that have grown suddenly and quickly in recent years.
Just in time for the sunset and a severe mosquito attack, we arrived at our stopping place, the Sri Brahman Dharmshala, accommodation provided to us by a contact of Rajkumar Bhardawaj, member of Hind Mazdoor Sabha. It sits at the edge of a large pond that looks pretty but ensured we would sleep very little because of the mosquitoes. Distinct, visible clouds of mosquitoes converged upon us just as the sun disappeared past the pond.
A spicy dinner of thick dal and roti was generously cooked and served to us by our hosts. We slept just fine after that, despite the mosquitoes.
Older entries from beginning of the march
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March 21, 2006
Update: the weekend's events in Delhi as supporters await the arrival of the padyatris
FROM NISHANT JAIN IN DELHI
It has been an exciting two or three days in Delhi. The padyatris will reach Palwal tomorrow, which means another 70 odd kilometers to Delhi.
Most us in Delhi and hundreds of Bhopalis will be joining the march in Faridabad on the 24th, and then cover the 30 kilometers to a picturesque Boy Scouts Bhavan (opposite Humayun's tomb and close to Nizamuddin) in Delhi, where they will be staying.
After a probable press conference and meetings with MPs and officials on the 26th, the final leg to Jantar Mantar will be covered on the 27th morning. And then the fun begins...
You can view the latest video capsule (#3) from Gwalior now here.
It will also be posted on various blogs soon.
This weekend saw an immensely successful action at a local artisan crafts bazaar called Dilli Haat. Over two days - March 18/19 - from 2pm to 8pm, we held screenings of the march, displayed the Raghu Rai photographic exhibition, got the petition to the PM signed, held candle light vigils and just generally raised a ruckus to get heard.
The response from the public and media was excellent. We collected 1000+ signatures and got half a dozen print and TV journalists to cover the event, including NDTV, Punjab Kesari and Sahara.
On the first day, we were eight of us - helped by Nity and Shweta who had flown in from Chennai. They joined the march yesterday. We generally saw more optimism and encouragement from the youth who signed the petition in large numbers. The elderly people were a little more cynical, maybe because of long fruitless struggles in their own lives against the government. We sang songs the whole day and attracted a fair bit of attention.
In the evening we scribed 'No more Bhopals' using candles and asked people to light candles in the memory of the victims. The entire area became jam packed, as the candles gave a sort of melancholy touch to the proceedings.
The highlight of the day for me was a middle-aged woman walking deliberately past each picture in the photo exhibit and explaining in detail the significance of each to her two pre-teen children. At the end, in an earnest tone, she remarked, "It is important that the children know about our history. This is never taught in school."
As Suroopa says in the foreword of her book, "lest they forget".
On the second day, it was more of the same. Being a Sunday, families were out in hordes. If one signed, the entire group usually signed.
We got twice as many signatures as on the day before. The vigil, once
again, was successful in getting people interested. We met a fair number of Bhopalis living in Delhi, who supported whole-heartedly.
The highlight this day was the enthusiasm of two kids (10-11 years), who helped out the entire evening after hearing patiently about the issue. Initially, they bought the book out of their own pocket money, only to be promptly sent back by their mother to get the money back. Very apologetically they said that they wanted to donate this to the school library to spread the issue. We told them to keep the book and the CD, along with their money. Their faces lit up and they helped in placing the candles and then cleaning the place after the action.
As we were leaving, they said the place needed some mark to remember the actions. We gave them a box of chalk and told them to go all out. After we returned from loading the car with the stuff, they had written in big letters all over the ground - 'NO MORE BHOPALS. WE WANT JUSTICE NOW. PLEASE HELP." And the two kids were nowhere to be seen. These are the moments that give you strength to carry on.
You can view pictures from the action here. (Click on the picture to view a high resolution version, if you would like save it or email it on.)
Also, Sudhir made a small video clip on Saturday.
We have actions at IIT Delhi on Wednesday 22nd, and Delhi University North Campus (Law Faculty) on Thursday 23rd.
As usual the padyatris send big Bhopali hugs to you all.
Older entries from beginning of the march
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March 20, 2006
Days 25-28: Temples and Krishna on a cell phone - from Agra to Mathura and beyond
Day 25: Thursday 16th March
We began walking out of Agra just as the sun rose. After about an hour of walking through the streets at dawn, we passed a magnificent building that we quickly identified as the tomb of Akbar the Great. Everyone decided to go have a look and we spent a few minutes admiring the ornate facade before moving on.
The city seemed to stretch on forever and it took most of the day to pass through all of its outer rings of industrial landscapes.
We stopped for lunch in an empty area near a water pump, behind a chai and soda shop building on the highway.
At sunset, after walking almost 30 kilometers to Farha, we came to a beautiful temple with lush gardens and banana trees, a wide area of brick-paved ground, and a water pump. They offered it to us for the night. We had space for a fire and were able to cook a full dinner of stew, rice, and roti. We fell asleep to the sound of bells and singing from the temple.
Day 26: Friday 17th March
The walk from Farha to Mathura was through a similar highway string of industrial pockets as the ones we saw the day before.
This is a very densely populated part of India. The highway we are walking alongside of now is wide, fast, and crowded with every kind of vehicle. There are also more billboards and other forms of commercial advertising. One in particular, a ubiquitous shoe ad, taunts us with: "Don't Walk. Drive."
This part of India – Uttar Pradesh -- also celebrates Holi with extra fervor and people are still dousing each other with colored powders and liquids.
Trucks filled with people doused in a dozen different colors are constantly passing by, and occasionally someone runs up and tries to throw a bucket of colored water on us. Here, people also take the celebrations one step further by play-fighting with sticks, trying to hit each other. By the time we arrived at the edge of Mathura, we had come to a friendly stick-fighting crowd of several hundred people, in addition to hundreds more attending Holi celebrations in a huge tent.
Lunch stop
We ended up being very lucky and found a very friendly and comfortable place to spend the night. A man by the side of the highway read our flier and introduced himself, telling us that he was from Bhopal and had been affected by the gas himself. He first offered everyone water and then offered us a large and beautiful room underneath his roadside restaurant, Neel Kalam. Feeling very relieved and grateful, we stayed there for the night.
Day 27: Saturday 18th March
We didn't have to get up early today but we are too used to getting up before 5 a.m. to be able to sleep very late. Most of the padyatris chose to spend the morning going to see some temples in the centre of Mathura. Mathura is a major religious site because it is the birthplace of the Hindu god Krishna. The whole city revolves around Krishna. We even passed a billboard advertisement that showed Krishna as a child talking on a cell phone.
Krishna: "Hello, Krishna speaking. Want to do multimedia?"
Our first stop was a beautiful temple perched high on a long staircase flanked by two statues the size of four-storey buildings, one of Ganesh and one of Hanuman. Hindu and Muslim padyatris alike climbed the stairs, rang the bells, and circulated admiringly through the temple.
The group then spread out through the streets of Mathura, many
checking out the inside of the Hare Krishna temple just down the road. Here the streets were filled with Westerners dressed in flowing gowns, people who obviously had been living there for a while. It made for a very surreal street scene.
Hare Krishna HQ
As people gathered back around the first temple, we were attacked by some monkeys. One monkey ran up and grabbed an orange out of somebody's bag and when Munna Lal approached it the monkey jumped on his shoulders and gave him a good shaking. This part of Uttar Pradesh seems to be filled with monkeys, so we're dealing with the same, very crafty monkey tactics every day.
After wandering through temples it was time for some more serious work -- we headed to the center of Mathura for a press conference. The commercial center of Mathura is an extremely dense, chaotic place and it took quite a push to get through the main drag with our banners.
People in Mathura seemed especially interested in both our presence and what we had to say, snapping up fliers as fast as we could hand them out.
After stopping for about 45 minutes to speak to the press at a restaurant space given to us for the occasion, we continued through the maze of Mathura until we got back out on the highway to Delhi. Vikas and Sateesh went ahead on the motorcycle in search of a place for us to spend the night. They found a man named Ravi Pappu who happily let us take over his empty factory property on the side of the highway.
That night was especially celebratory. Although we become more and more excited and anxious the closer we get to our journey's end in Delhi, there is also a sense of not wanting this padyatra to end, as difficult as it is. The stars shone bright as people drummed and sang together, now with countless pairs of bells people bought for 5 rupees each outside of the Krishna temple in downtown Mathura. All together, we made a beautiful sound.
Day 28: Sunday 19th March
On Sunday morning we finally broke through the seemingly endless industrialised zone that stretched between Agra and Mathura and found ourselves walking through wide open fields again.
For lunch we stopped at a small building used as the office of the District Cane Manager, which handles all things related to farming sugar cane in the area. It was a real refuge of a place, with lots of shade and a meticulously kept garden behind a water pump.
After food and some afternoon naps, we continued on to our goal for the night -- the town of Chhata. The walk took us through more crop fields.
These things kept crowding us off the road - and almost knocking us off our feet - carrying wheat husks, we think.
The sun set on us just short of Chhata and we ended up stopping at a small, yellow school building for the night. It had a water pump about 50 meters away, but no electricity. Sathyu, Rachna, Champa Devi, Rashida Bee, Irfan, and Lila Bai cooked a particularly special dinner of Kadhi -- made from chickpeas, flour, and yogurt, served with rice. After dinner, everyone quickly went to sleep, despite the persistence of clouds of mosquitoes.
Older entries from beginning of the march
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March 16, 2006
Pictures from the Chennai rally, March 16th
Posted by bhola at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2006
Days 22-24: With monkeys, drums and peacocks to Agra and the Taj Mahal
Day 22: Monday March 13
Monday was a difficult day. We had to walk 28 kilometers before ourfirst meal - from Dholpur all the way to the Rajasthan-Uttar Pradesh border. There, just over the border in Uttar Pradesh, we stopped for rest and to cook a meal outside a small government building.
The lunch was something special - dal barti. We had to fight for it, though - a band of about six or seven monkeys, adults and babies, surrounded us while the food was still being prepared and people had to wave sticks and chase them away to save our ingredients. Eventually the monkeys got away with nothing but a few carrots and a couple of rotis.
After the monkey business, a bit of horseplay
Sathyu wearing a Che towel
Jagarnath carrying the FC United umbrella
We continued on in the direction of Agra until we couldn't walk any more. We had walked 38 kilometers by the time the day was over.
Green graves of Muslim holy men
There was a nearly full moon that rose in the east as the sun sank below the horizon across from it. We found a very old empty building by the side of the road. It was actually a very beautiful building, with mottled reddish-brown walls, columns and arches inside and out, and a rooftop that circled around a wide open atrium below. People slept on the roof and underneath as well. After dinner a huge impromptu drumming and singing circle erupted in the atrium under the open sky, and everyone on the roof lined the edges, looking down and clapping along. Then sleep, for a few hours.
Day 23, Tueday March 14
Early morning on the 14th, before Agra
Approaching Agra was a long and slow process. At about about 10 in the morning we stopped a chai stand for a rest. When the chai maker learned about the padyatra and the nature of our journey, he made everyone chai for free. We ended up getting stranded there for about 20 minutes by another in the long series of sudden rainstorms we have encountered this week.
We were surrounded by peacocks for much of the walk to Agra. Some trees had as many as four or five peacocks perched in their branches, letting out their very loud and strange peacock sound, which is a like a mix between a cat's meow and a human child's whine. [Has also been compared to an old bus screeching to a halt, Ed]
We arrived in Agra at about noon. Agra is a huge city, so we found ourselves walking through it for several kilometers before we were in the centre. It was then that we were greeted by several people from Amnesty International India who had organised a number of things for our arrival. Vasudha Sondhi, Amnesty International's membership coordinator in Delhi, got together a local team of Amnesty International activists in Agra.
Together, Arun Kumar Dixit, Sumit Nagpal, and Naresh Kumar Paras arranged for our food and accommodation, getting press and television to cover our entry into the city, getting welcomed with a garland of flowers for every person on the padyatra, and organised a press conference and speech panel presentation that was inaugurated by the Commissioner of Agra.
Irfan bhai receiving recognition
Lilabai speaks at the conference
Several Senior Advocates and judges came to listen to short speeches by several padyatris and to join in solidarity. All of it was a great success.
Day 24, Wednesday March 15 - Agra
Today everyone is celebrating Holi. Holi is a Hindu holiday known for partying in the streets, bonfires, and people throwing colored liquid and powders over each other. Before every padyatri had even awoken, some were returning from the street covered in bright yellow, purple, and green powders. Within an hour or two, every one of us had at least one coloured stripe down the center of our foreheads, and many were completely smeared with four or five colours. Outside on the street, there wasn't anyone who passed by the front gate who wasn't completely soaked and coloured.
Upstairs, we celebrated on our own. A few people drummed and shook bells while everyone sang and clapped in a circle in which each person on the padyatra was coerced into doing solo dances as everyone sat on the floor watching. It was probably the most playful few hours on the whole padyatra up to this point.
Gulab-bai, who can barely walk
Kanchan-bai
Jagarnath dancing
Naseef and Islam
Naval Singh lets rip
Everyone was laughing and having a ball, even though we were all extremely hungry. We couldn't get any food because all businesses in the whole city were closed for the chaos and fun of Holi. We ended up not eating until after 3 p.m.
In the late afternoon, most of the padyatris decided to visit the Taj Mahal. Only a few people on the padyatra had ever seen or been to the Taj Mahal before, so it was an exciting visit. No one was disappointed. The beauty of it was overwhelming.
We spent about two hours slowly walking in and around the central building and over the many little paths between the reflections in the pools. After the stress, and feverish chaos of the last leg of our journey, the calm and peace of the Taj Mahal was a welcome treat. The whole complex almost forces anyone in its presence to take a deep breath and relax. We stayed to watch the entire sunset before slowly filing away.
We are quickly closing the gap between us and Delhi. We have only 200 kilometers left. We plan to arrive in Delhi on the 25th of March, rest on the 26th, and walk the last leg of the journey to the Prime Minister's residence on the 27th. Internet access (and the frequency of these blog and photo posts) should become more and more frequently available as we approach Delhi, so keep checking back here for more.
Older entries from beginning of the march
Posted by bhola at 08:17 PM | Comments (0)
March 12, 2006
Days 20 & 21: From Gwalior to Morena, then across the river Chambal into Rajasthan
Day 20, Saturday March 11
We left Gwalior at sunrise and began walking the 18 kilometers to Banmore, an industrial town in which we had hoped to spend some time. Because we have to be in Agra early on the 14th (three days) and it was still over 100 km away, we decided to make Banmore our midday lunch stop instead.
Several days ago we ran into a man named Ramesh Sharma on the road. When he found out what the padyatra was about, he told us he was the personal assistant to Congress Party member Jyotiraditya Sindhia, Guna's representative in Parliament. Mr. Sharma has offered us a lot of help, and it was he who provided our accommodations in Gwalior. He called ahead to Banmore and had local Congress Party people prepare to give us food and shelter. So, we were treated to a very nice lunch of poori, dal, and sweets on the lawn of a shaadi (wedding) hall they reserved for the afternoon -- thanks to Rajender Singh Kushwaha, the president of the local Congress Party Unit.
As we left the shaadi hall we got into a discussion with several women who wanted to talk to us about the problems they've been having with water in Banmore. For the past five years, they said, they've had to walk at least 2-3 kilometers to get water because nearby industrial developments have usurped all the local well water. Among the industries most prevalent around Banmore are tire, plastic, and chemical manufacturing. As we walked through the outskirts of town we passed the plants of the following companies: J.K. Tyres, Farseen Rubber Industries, Ltd, Manoj Paints and Chemicals, Magnum Steels, Ltd, Jai Giriraj Plastics, Jepika Chemical Industries India Private, Ltd, and Deluxe Alloys, Ltd.
A giant centipede in a toilet in Banmore.
A roadside doctor tends to the walking wounded.
Irfan bhai's shoes!
We continued walking all the way to Morena, almost 40 kilometers from Gwalior. The sun set while we were still very far away from Morena, and we ended up walking a couple of hours in the dark.
When we arrived in Morena there was no electricity in the whole city. After winding through a seemingly endless maze of narrow streets filled with crowds of faces we couldn't see, we arrived where we would sleep -- at a building in the end stages of construction, with about four empty rooms.
Our hosts had very little time to find us a place -- we didn't know ourselves until midday that we would be going all the way to Morena. Our hosts, Dhanraj Naagaar and Sanjay Sharma, were local representatives of Amnesty International who lived in Morena. In addition to sheltering us, they also cooked us dinner -- poori, dal, and rice. Everyone fell asleep very quickly after eating.
Day 21, Sunday March 12
We were walking by sunrise Sunday morning, singing and chanting through the streets of Morena.
A roadside traveller offered us his full support>
We walked about 15 kilometers before stopping for lunch at a police station/camp that wanted to host us.
After lunch they escorted us all the way to the Madhya Pradesh border - the Chambal River.
The Chambal River is by far the largest river we have crossed. The bridge was a dilapidated, with large sections of railing missing, and it rippled heavily under our feet as trucks squeezed past us. The river lay far below, in a wide, green canyon, Rajasthan ahead of us as a wall of vertical rock.
We were met on the other side by Rajasthani police, who provided a jeep with about five armed men to accompany us to Dholpur.
The landscape completely transforms a few kilometers away from the river. We suddenly found ourselves staring out over what looked like an endless sea of strange, craggy landforms that formed a network of pockets and ravines. This difficult and obscuring terrain is a major factor in the wild lawlessness of this part of India.
Dholpur has abundant old and beautiful buildings. The sun set just as we arrived at the Aggarwal Dharmshala, accommodations provided by the Chief Collector of Dholpur.
We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow -- probably about 35 km. Tomorrow night will be our first in Uttar Pradesh.
Older entries from beginning of the march
Posted by bhola at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)
March 10, 2006
Days 15-19: Kindness and courtesy in a bandit-held wilderness, the 100 kilometers from Shivpuri to Gwalior
Updated on Friday 10 March 2006
We are now in Gwalior, population around a million and a half, at the Sindhi Bhavan Dharmshala, which is a sort of hostel. We have just crossed an extremely bleak and somewhat treacherous stretch of about 100 km that lies between here and Shivpuri to the south. During that time we had absolutely no electricity, infrequent sources of water, and certainly no opportunities for internet access -- that is why this update is so late. EDITOR'S NOTE: The pictures from these four days have not yet arrived, but will be added as soon as they do.
Day 15, Monday, March 6
We left Shivpuri just before sunrise as the last few stars were fading, singing and chanting songs and walking with banners for the early risers at the edge of town. The most popular song, casually referred to as "The Bhopal Song", goes like this --
Chala Bhopal ka rela
Chhor gharbhar ka jamela
Aae burhe aae
Aae Jaavaan aae
Koi na chute akela
Walk on, Bhopal rally
Leave behind your house chores
The old have come
The young have come
No one is left alone
We had failed to secure a police escort in Shivpuri for the trek through dacoit land, but chose just to walk as close together as possible and not worry too much about it. As soon as we were out of Shivpuri we could see that we had entered a new and different cultural landscape. At the first place we stopped for tea (after walking about five kilometers) was a man standing in front casually holding a black, full-length, pistol-grip shotgun. Over the course of the day we would see many more men on motorcycles, faces wrapped over in bandanas and long guns slung across their backs.
We ended up spending the afternoon at a place called Santavara, a small base camp for forest rangers. So prevalent are masked bandits on motorcycles that the guards mobilized against Vikas as he rode in on his motorcycle -- they mistook him for a daku because of his long scarf, which he had wrapped over his head and under his jaw. Rachna came to his rescue and when they realised who we really were, they were abundantly hospitable. There was a deep well there and people took turns pulling the rough and frayed rope to draw the dripping bucket from the bottom, which was about 30 meters below. We all enjoyed some rice and dal with fresh tomato and onion under the shade of a small Hindu temple within the camp.
Despite another long and painful walk in extreme heat after the lunch break, we did not make it all the way to Dohlagarh, the town we were supposed to reach for the night. The sun was about to set and we knew it was too dangerous to continue walking after dark, so we sought accommodation in the next town we passed, which turned out to be a tiny village called Pataara. Pataara is a very poor, dacoit-connected village and we were warned by several people to be extremely careful there. There was no electricity because of a permanent, self-imposed blackout that gives them an advantage in the ongoing battle with the police, who live in special military-style camps from which they fight the bandit groups. The handpump there was no good so we had to get water from a kilometer back.
What must have been half the village gathered around us as soon as we arrived. They seemed very friendly. We were taken under the wing of a man named Muni Ram who said that if he had known that we were coming he would have arranged food for us all. He allowed us to sleep in two adjacent, empty school buildings with accordion-style metal gates which could be bolted from the inside. He also gave us his special lantern to display as a signal to others around that we were under his watch and no one should harm us in any way.
There was another man we met in Pataara who used to work in the stone mill close by. The government closed it down and he was left with no source of income. He was thinking of moving to Bhopal with his family and appealing to the Chief Minister there…..”But now, having heard of your problems, if the CM in Bhopal does nothing to help you then perhaps i should reconsider moving there and also walk to Delhi.” Another local added that, “There are children being born now who will be little more than corporate slaves it seems. It’s like the old British rulers at the start of trading with our country. Companies are now behaving in the same way – it’s a kind of new colonialism. When guests came we used to give them Coca-Cola, now we know that they take all the water so we don’t give it to our guests anymore.”
We took our minds off the immediate environment with a group meeting in which new cooking groups and rotas were formed as we had said goodbye to eleven of the group last week. Once we had filled up on some rice, roti and great dal, everyone crowded inside the two school rooms and bolted all the doors tight. The women collectively chose three of the men to sleep in their room in case of any unwelcome intruders. At about 3 a.m. someone got up to go to the bathroom and unbolted the door as quietly as possible, but half the room sprung upright within three seconds, a chorus of voices demanding, "Kaun hai? Kaun hai?!" - "Who's there?!" It was hard to get back to sleep after that – the women’s room in particular was too tense. Actually getting up in the morning was hard after such a fractious night but helped by a cup of sweet black chai before we moved off.
Day 16, Tuesday March 7
We left Pataara right at sunrise to begin the very long walk to Mohana, our next stop. The landscape here is arid and mostly flat, with nothing but dry brush visible as far as the horizon. Most hills are flat on top – a series of small plateaux as far as the eye can see – breathtaking landscape actually. The ground is mostly red and yellowish brown sand and gravel, with a surprising green-leaved tree here and there and many small thorny, bald trees and lots of dry stone walling. There seem to be no farms at all and almost no people, buildings and very few power lines. We had to stock up on water, too, because pumps and wells are far less frequent than they were south of Shivpuri.
We stopped for chai in the morning in a place where the owner insisted on paying for the whole group once he heard about what we were doing. The roadside stall had a good place to shelter from