Erin Brokovich

This past weekend I went out with my girls. While returning, the movie Erin Brokovich striked my mind and I decided to search the movie online around 9:30pm. It took me about an hour to find it and when I finally started watching, it kept on buffering… ugh! Anyhow, with much struggle I was able to watch half of the movie that night. When I dozed off, I kept on presuming what will happen next? Infact, I kept my laptop on hibernate mode, so that movie could buffer throughout the night. The next morning, I couldn’t wait to get back to Erin’s story. However, fate was not on my side. So, I restarted the entire page, and set it aside on buffer, again… eventually the movie started running. At the end, my expression was WOW... what a Lady!!! The film reminded me of Bhopal Gas Tragedy in India. Now, I have a crystal clear picture of what those people went through. Extremely sad and lamentable…

Erin Brokovich didn’t have a pleasant life but undoubtedly carried the looks and figure of a Diva. She didn’t have a concrete job, got married twice, divorced twice and bore 3 children from the two failed marriages. Erin did win the Miss Pacific Coast title in 1981; however, she showed minimal interest in the beauty business. Therefore, she moved on. But, fate had something else planned for her. Erin got involved in a car accident which brutally injured her. She hired Masery & Vititoe to fight for her case and later on worked for them as a small clerk. Because she had the body of a bomb-shell, she wore the sexiest clothes out there and showcased her assets in full swing. In return she got ‘hate-looks’ from all the other ladies in the firm. While working there, Erin came across Pacific Gas and Electric case. She got herself tightly wrapped around the mess and started to go on an investigation. PG&E had been poisoning the residents of a small town named Hinkley, California. It was because of Erin’s unwavering tenacity that PG & E had been exposed for leaking toxic Chromium 6 into the ground water. This poison affected the health of the population of Hinkley. The case was settled for $333 million which is considered the largest settlement ever paid in US history. Once again, Thanks to Ms. E!

However, how can a company ‘knowingly’ open a plant which will be poisonous for the local residents? Is it ethical? Of course, not! But since when did we humans start blabbing about ethics? In this day and age, a single individual or a firm or a politician, only looks for their profit; finessing the fact that it might crush others. I believe, very few Erin’s are left in this world who comply such selfless good deeds.

Even though the Hinkley residents were granted $333 million; they still cannot bring back the same health or peace. Damage is done! The money only acts as a medicine but the paroxysm will never go away. However, I still respect the idea of allotting compensation. In India, Bhopal Gas Tragedy victims received a small gob from the entire lump-sum. Just for the record, such things did not end with the Hinkley case. It was just the beginning. Erin got herself suppressed in just one slice of pizza. The entire pizza was still left to be taken care of. Ms. Brokovich is working with dozens of other cases which deal with water contamination. California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, all have high-rates of complaints against water contamination.

Kudos to a very prestigious and prominent Erin Brokovich!!!

Cost of poor: Dead bodies sold for Rs. 1 lakh. Injured sold for Rs. 25,000.

‘Rich gets richer and poor gets poorer’. National anthem of our country. I feel ‘disheartened’ to write this article, however, at the same time ‘tempted’ to spread the awareness of Bhopal Gas DISASTER in India. An industrial catastrophe which occurred in 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. At the time, UCIL was the Indian subsidiary of the US Company Union Carbide Corporation (UCC), presently Dow Chemical Company. The ‘raavan’ [as Bhopal people would like to call him] Warren Anderson ruled the company in 1984.

About twenty six years ago deadly toxins from the plant were exposed to over 500,000 people. Around 22,000 dead. More than 1, 20,000 injured. Studies show that symptoms are related to eye problems, immune disorders, cardiac failure, female reproductive difficulties and birth defects among children born to affected women. Basically, it never ended; it’s an on-going suffering.

Along with Anderson aka Raavan, six others were convicted in this ghastly act. Anderson bribed the government and flew off to US and only 2 years of jail for the remaining accused. Wow… This is called justice. This was the verdict on the most deadliest gas tragedy till date in India. From the past 26 years, people of Bhopal are living on a hope to see Raavan behind bars, waiting for our Government to take stricter action on this holocaust. However, what is our government doing? Relishing the fringe benefit paid by Raavan. $450 million!

All these years, people of Bhopal did everything possible to get justice and so-called-compensation. They protested, they cried, they begged, they filed court cases, they sat hungry and faced police lathis on roads and most importantly: they hoped! Little did they know, there culprit was living life king-size in a mansion in New York. And the bastards ruling the government in India were having a ball with corrupting gift.

British ruled us for 150 years and gave us independence. However, did we really get independence? Aren’t we still being ruled over? The only difference is, instead of British, now it’s America. Kehne ko we live in a democratic country. Kehne ko we have freedom of speech. Kehne ko sky is the limit for us. But the fact still remains that it’s the Americans who are driving our country and the dollars. Actually, it’s not a particular currency, its just money that matters in this kalyug.

The victims have always alleged that Bhopal tragedy happened because of negligence by the Union Carbide and that was cost-cutting measure taken by Anderson. Anderson is a criminal, surely he’ll do anything in his power to protect himself but what is our government doing by letting this mass-murderer go scot-free. Is it because he’s an American? Does this mean Americans can visit our country anytime and kill the poor? Will we not fight back? Is it because higher level authorities had no family members who suffered from this disaster? Is it because people of India are worthless?

Poor has no say in anything because poor doesn’t have money.
Poor will rot in hell because he was born as poor.
Poor has no value.

We never got independence and we never will, until India decides to stand on its feet!

http://studentorgs.utexas.edu/aidaustin/bhopal/bhopal.JPG