Safreen and Satinath(Sathyu) who were available for panel discussion after the screening of Secrets and Lies left a lasting impression on me. Their optimism and dedication towards the goal of obtaining justice for Bhopal victims is commendable. These are some of the many heros who we rarely come to know of. There is another chance for Seattle folks to meet them this evening(See below for details). I will have more to write after today’s meeting but I would like to share the Sathyu’s poem that he recited to us with as much optimism and passion in his voice as the poem talks about. In a way this is his reply to those who ask him why he is still clinging on to an issue of past or why he doesn’t give up even after 25 years.
A RABID OPTIMIST
Yes I'm a rabid optimist
For me every tree that continues to stand
Every stream that continues to flow
Every child that runs away from home
Is an indication that the battle is not only on
It is being won
You may tell me about the nuclear arms race
And all I can tell you is that an unknown child held my hand with love
You will try to draw me
Into the plato of practical life
Tell me that not only god
But all the religious and irreligious leaders are dead
And I will tell you that across the forest lives a young man who calls the earth his mother
You will give me the boring details
Of the rise of state power after every revolution
And I all I can tell you is that In our tribe we still share our bread.
You will reason with me and I will talk nonsense like this
And because the difference between breathing and living life
Is the difference between reason and poetry
I'll recite poems to you
Poems full of dreams
Poems full of optimism
And maybe a poem better than this.
Today's event:
Panel Discussion on "Corporate Crime, Environmental Injustice and Toxic Trespass: Lessons from the 1984 Union Carbide Gas disaster in Bhopal, India."
When: Saturday, May 30, 2009. 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Where: Communications 120, Stevens Way E, University District, University of Washington
www.washington.edu/home/maps/northcentral.html?CMU
Who:
Safreen "Rafat" Khan: A 16-year old second-generation victim of Union Carbide's poisons, Safreen is co-founder of Children Against Dow Carbide, a children's group that has committed itself to keeping the fight for justice in Bhopal alive for as long as it takes.
Satinath Sarangi: A long-time Bhopal activist, and founder-trustee of Sambhavna Trust clinic, an award winning free holistic clinic for survivors of the Bhopal disaster.
Dr. Sheela Satyanarayana: Asst Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Univ. of Washington. An accomplished physician with expertise in pediatric environmental health, Dr. Satyanarayana has been a forceful voice of science in advocating for more stringent regulations on toxic chemicals, including Bisphenol A and phthalates.
Local Sponsors: South Asia Center of University of Washington, Association for India's Development, Washington Toxics Coalition, Tasveer, WashPIRG (Students - UW), WashPIRG, SEED (UW), South Asia Students Association (UW), Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility, Amnesty International, Collaborative on Health and Environment - Washington, Commonweal-Northwest
