In North America, Bhopal Supporters Send Origami Crows to Prime Minister Singh
On August 24, symbolic crows were sent to the U.S. Indian Consulates in San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, New York and the Embassy in D.C.
A group of San Francisco Bhopal activists gathered Monday to create origami crows, in solidarity with the Bhopalis’ unmet demand for an Empowerment Commission. In May 2008 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Minister of State Prithviraj Chavan stated:
“The Central Government will take the initiative in speedily working out the modalities for setting up such a Commission [the Empowered Commision] by subsuming the various Committees on different rehabilitation aspects set up by Supreme Court, the Government of India, the Government of M.P. and the High Court of M.P.”
The PM’s office made a false statement, and never followed through with their promise. An Empowered Commission could carry out the long overdue medical, economical, and environmental rehabilitation in Bhopal.
झूठ बोले कौवा कटे
If you tell a lie, the crow will bite.
San Francisco Bhopal supporters created colorful origami crows and hand-wrote letters to the Prime Minister, which asked him to stay true to his word, and establish the Empowered Commission. Crows were mailed to all Indian embassies in the U.S., and the D.C. consulate.
In Toronto, a group of students got together and accomplished “Mission Black Crow.” They created origami crows with messages on Bhopal enfolded, and cleverly hung them from park trees, placed them on benches, and tucked them in car windshields. Toronto activists sent crows flying to Canadian PM Steve Harper.
In Pittsburgh, volunteers with Association for India’s Development (AID) produced 26 crows to represent the 26 years without justice in Bhopal. Their crows landed at the New York Consulate.
Seattle ICJB supporters spent an evening in a downtown Bellevue park, raising public awareness on Bhopal, and creating about 30 crows. Seattle crows headed South to the San Francisco Consulate.
You can download a sample letter to the Prime Minister.
In accordance with the survivor organizations, this action was designed to remind the Central Government that the lack of justice in Bhopal will not go unnoticed. A warm thank you to participants in San Francisco, Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Seattle.
If you took action, and would like to share your stories please email shana@panna.org, or claire@panna.org.
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