(In)Justice: Delivered

Apart from Math, History is one subject that has always fascinated me. Though both the subjects are as different as chalk and cheese. In one everything can be proved and in other everything you have to believe. And wherever belief is concerned, you tend to believe more a first hand account. But how many first hand accounts of events of historic importance are there? I think you can go back only till partition. I’ve heard few of my Punjabi uncles narrating the series of tragic events that took place in the winter of ’47. Horrific as they are, there is one more disaster of which I have heard from the people directly involved in that. Actually I was also involved in that but I was a kid of only 2 years at that time. Yes, I’m talking about Bhopal Gas leak accident.

My mom’s family belongs to Bhopal and on that fateful night of 2nd and 3rd December 1984, we all were in Bhopal because of my Uncle’s marriage. It was around 1:30 in the night that people started smelling something in the air. At first, it felt like it’s an LPG gas leak but when all the cylinders (around 10-12 in number because of the marriage) were checked 2-3 times and the smell getting more discomforting, that people started guessing. And then by the dawn, the news spread faster than the gas in the air.

There was a poisonous gas that leaked from the premises of Union Carbide’s plant in old city. There were reports that initially said that the gas has only caused people to vomit and made their eyes red/swollen and no casualty was there. Newspapers were not allowed to give the actual number because it could cause the panic. But to hell with that, people got the actual numbers: more than 20,000 dead and over a lakh having serious problems. But these still are official figures. Rest you can guess. In the morning, families running away from the Gas plant as far as possible were the only sites.

We were lucky that we were living at a place that was 15 km away from the gas plant. And we feel lucky every time such an incident happens and none of “our” people has been harmed. But this incident left an indelible mark on public’s mind space. And yes there were more visible ones as well. The next generation of the families living in the vicinity of the plant has also been crippled. And many have died a silent death, in the coming years, which never got counted in that initial figure.

This week came the “justice” to the families of victims. It took 26 good years to establish the responsibility for this worst industrial disaster in the history of mankind. And wow! The convicts were given 2 years of imprisonment and 1.7 lakh Rs fine for causing death due to “negligence”. All the convicts got bail just after their sentencing as well. If we needed any more proof of mockery of justice in India, this was it.

Now, the media would scrutinize the case and we will see a lot of charges and counter charges of government’s impotency at that time (it has already started as I post this blog). But nothing will come out of this for sure.

I have always believed that more than and sooner than any other reforms, we need judicial reforms in our country. If you look at any problem of India, the bottom line is that the offenders know that first they wont be caught and if they are caught they wont be persecuted and in case they are persecuted they would have died comfortably by then. Though we know that they would rot in hell for sure but we want them to rot in prison here on earth. This whole system here is so “Justice proof” that Warren Anderson was openly allowed to run away (of course he bribed the people who were supposed to persecute him and US pressurized Indian government).

There have been so many instances of criminals being left scot free because of delay in Indian legal process. But we can’t blame judiciary for this whole mess. I read somewhere that it would take 350 years to complete all the cases pending in courts across the country. What we need is judicial reforms. We need to increase the number of judges and courts (actually we need to double them according to one report), we need to change some archaic laws (the recent verdict is a result of that only) and introduce some new and better laws. We all have witnessed what can happen with judicial activism (Few years back, Veerappan kidnapped Kannada superstar Rajkumar and asked for release of around 120 criminals and the Karnataka government actually gave orders for their release but SC came into the picture and spoiled Veerappan’s party).

Politicians here are never going to go aggressively for judicial reforms, as they know that they would be the first casualties of those reforms. But I believe that pressure from public can really make them act. And media has a big role to play here. If we can have justice delivered in Kasab’s case within a year, why not in all those other million cases?

May the souls of the deceased in Bhopal gas leak rest in peace.

When one ends, Another begins

Just after my convocation, I thought what am I going to do next two and a half months? I made a “to-do list”. It involved visiting new places, re-visiting few places, and doing things I never had time for. I thought this is a great opportunity to explore many things. I mean, when am I going to get 2.5 months break next? Maybe, at least, after 30 years when I’ll retire.

So my trips included Vaishno Devi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Amritsar, Bhilai, Pune and Mumbai. And the best adventure that I had was 16Km rafting in the waters of Ganges in Rishikesh and the Wagah border in Amritsar can really make you feel the pain of partition! More on this some other time but in no language can one describe what you feel inside Jalianwala Bagh.

I really was successful in getting reconnected to my roots. There’s a wonderful ad, sponsored by MP tourism, which has a punch line “Hindustan ka dil dekho”. I have seen that ad sitting in every corner of the country. So I thought I should visit (and re-visit) all those wonderful places. But plans are seldom put properly into action. How shameful it is for people like me who proudly claim to have explored so many parts of India and look forward to make the same claim for the world but have seen little of their own state! I was thinking from a long time to write (or boast) about my hometown. So I’ll do this now.

This time, I surely explored many aspects of my City: Hoshangabad. A small town on the southern bank of river Narmada, 70 Km away from Bhopal. A typical small Indian town where you know most of the people living in your colony. There are many things my city can boast of. Some I knew: it has the only hill station (Pachmarhi) of MP, rock paintings (at Bhim Batheka) dating 9000 years back are here (if you open Wiki and search for India, “Bhim-Batheka” is used to show the life of Indian civilization) and river Narmada is in its widest (650-700 meters!), deepest (300-400 feet) and cleanest form here.

And there are some really astonishing facts that I didn’t know: farmland here is at least 3 times costlier than the rates else where in the whole state! I can guess the reason for that. No shortage of water (Thanks to Narmada) and for underground water, you need to bore only 30 feet. Power cut also is just 2-3 hours as compared to 9-10 hours in many parts of the state during summer. This has actually put my plan of buying farmland and growing mangoes on hold for some more timeL The land here is so fertile that I have heard that farmers from other states have bought land. As a matter of fact, the district stood first in per hectare wheat production in the whole country this year (it produced 45 Quintal per hectare and the distant second was one Punjab district with 38 Quintal per hectare). Though these figures are just numbers for me as I don’t know what this whole thing means other than that this is a good news for farmers here and truly a unique feat.

Enough now. To know more, visit Hoshangabad which is well connected to every part of the country.

Come June 14 and I’ll again become part of the corporate world. And now there’s no escape for me. Earlier, during all those working years, every task I used to take half-heartedly as I always had one thought in the back of mind: “Abhi kar lo ye kaam, maine toh jaldi hi MBA karne nikal jaana hai”. But now, no space for such thoughts. Now I’ve to work but with how much percentage of heart, I’ll know in few days. So embarking upon a new journey very soon. Away from the comforts of home. The breakfasts, lunches and dinners will again be felt like a task. No more sleeps without alarm.

One journey ends and another begins…..

PS 1: The coincidence is that it was FIFA world cup when I joined a company last time and this time too its FIFA world cup!

PS 2: The opening scene of recent release “Raajniti” is Hoshangabad’s Narmada Ghat.

Few snaps of Narmada are attached.