Champa Devi Shukla

Last updated

Champa Devi Shukla
Born
Bhopal, India
NationalityIndian
Awards Goldman Environmental Prize (2004)

Champa Devi Shukla is an Indian activist from Bhopal. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2004, together with Rashida Bee. Shukla and Bee have struggled for justice for those who survived the 1984 Bhopal disaster, when 20,000 people were killed, and organized campaigns and trials against the responsible company and its owners. [1]

Contents

Bhopal Gas Tragedy

Champa Devi Shukla, along with Rashida Bee, led an international campaign seeking justice for the survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide Gas Tragedy in Bhopal. Starting with protests and rallies in India, Shukla took her fight against Union Carbide Company (UCC) and its partner, Dow Chemicals, to the streets of New York and other American cities. Dow Chemicals is today fighting a series of cases filed by Champa and other protesters. [2] [3] In 2002, they organised a 19-day hunger strike in New Delhi, demanding that the former Union Carbide CEO Warren Anderson face a criminal trial in Bhopal. [4] [5]

Awards

Shukla, along with Bee, was awarded the 2004 Goldman Environmental Prize for bringing the Bhopal disaster to the international center stage. [6]

Personal life

Shukla works at the Central Government Press, where she is a junior binder. [7] She was married to a government employee who was killed by cancer in 1997. Two of Shukla's sons also died due to health problems as a result of the methyl isocyanate gas leak. Three other children are still alive, but none lead a normal life. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methyl isocyanate</span> Chemical compound

Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is an organic compound with the molecular formula CH3NCO. Synonyms are isocyanatomethane and methyl carbylamine. Methyl isocyanate is an intermediate chemical in the production of carbamate pesticides (such as carbaryl, carbofuran, methomyl, and aldicarb). It has also been used in the production of rubbers and adhesives. As an extremely toxic and irritating compound, it is very hazardous to human health. It was the principal toxicant involved in the infamous Bhopal gas disaster, which officially killed around 20,000 people in total. It is also a very potent lachrymatory agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhopal disaster</span> 1984 gas-leak accident in Bhopal, India

The Bhopal disaster or Bhopal gas tragedy was a chemical accident on the night of 2–3 December 1984 at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. Considered the world's worst industrial disaster, over 500,000 people in the small towns around the plant were exposed to the highly toxic gas methyl isocyanate (MIC). Estimates vary on the death toll, with the official number of immediate deaths being 2,259. In 2008, the Government of Madhya Pradesh paid compensation to the family members of 3,787 victims killed in the gas release, and to 574,366 injured victims. A government affidavit in 2006 stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries. Others estimate that 8,000 died within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas-related diseases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Carbide</span> American chemical company

Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers before reaching consumers. Some are high-volume commodities and others are specialty products meeting the needs of smaller markets. Markets served include paints and coatings, packaging, wire and cable, household products, personal care, pharmaceuticals, automotive, textiles, agriculture, and oil and gas. The company is a former component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldman Environmental Prize</span> Award

The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The award is given by the Goldman Environmental Foundation headquartered in San Francisco, California. It is also called the Green Nobel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Yes Men</span> Culture jamming activist duo

The Yes Men are a culture jamming activist duo and network of supporters created by Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos. Through various actions, the Yes Men primarily aim to raise awareness about problematic social and political issues. To date, the duo have produced three films: The Yes Men (2003), The Yes Men Fix the World (2009), and The Yes Men Are Revolting (2014). In these films, they impersonate entities that they dislike, a practice that they call "identity correction." The Yes Men operate under the mission statement that lies can expose truth. They create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they intend to spoof, which have led to numerous interview, conference, and TV talk show invitations. They espouse the belief that corporations and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public. Elaborate props are sometimes part of the ruse, as shown in their 2003 DVD release The Yes Men. The Yes Men have collaborated with other groups of similar interest, including Improv Everywhere, Andrew Boyd and Steve Lambert.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warren Anderson (American businessman)</span> Chair and CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation (1921–2014)

Warren Martin Anderson was an American businessman who was the chair and CEO of the Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) at the time of the Bhopal disaster in 1984. He was charged with manslaughter by Indian authorities.In 1989 ucc paid $479 million dollars to Indian government to settle litigation stemming from the disaster.

Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) was a chemical company founded in 1934. UCIL employed 9,000 people. UCIL was 50.9% owned by Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation (UCC) located in the United States and 49.1% by Indian investors including the Government of India and government-controlled banks. UCIL produced batteries, carbon products, welding equipment, plastics, industrial chemicals, pesticides and marine products. A UCIL facility located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh was responsible for manufacturing various chemical products this primarily included pesticides. In 1984, a gas leak happened at the UCIL plant in Bhopal, killing thousands of people, and harming victims by causing chronic illness. At the time of the disaster, UCIL was ranked twenty-first in size among companies operating in India. It had revenues of ₹2 billion.

Sunil Verma, himself a victim, was a campaigner for the rights of victims affected by the Bhopal disaster, the deadliest industrial disaster as of 2007. He testified in a case against the company when it came up for hearing in New York City in 1986. He formed the Children Against Carbide organization in 1987, when he was fifteen.

Students for Bhopal (SfB) is an international network of students and supporters working in solidarity with the survivors of the Bhopal disaster – the world's worst-ever industrial catastrophe - in their struggle for justice. Through education, grassroots organizing and non-violent direct action, SfB builds pressure against Dow Chemical and the Indian Government to uphold the Bhopalis' demand for justice, and their fundamental human right to live free of chemical poison. It was coordinated by Ryan Bodanyi, who founded the organization in 2003.

The International Medical Commission on Bhopal (IMCB) was established in 1993 to organise medical responses to the 1984 Bhopal disaster (India).

The International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal (ICJB) is a coalition of disaster survivors and environmental, social justice, progressive Indian, and human rights groups that have joined forces to hold the Indian Government and Dow Chemical Corporation accountable for the ongoing chemical disaster in Bhopal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indra Sinha</span> British writer (born 1950)

Indra Sinha is a British writer of Indian and English descent. Animal's People, his most recent novel, was shortlisted for the 2007 Man Booker Prize and winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Europe and South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambhavna Trust Clinic</span>

The Sambhavna Trust Clinic, or Bhopal People's Health and Documentation Clinic, is a charitable trust run by a group of doctors, scientists, writers and social workers who have been involved with various aspects of the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal, India, ever since its occurrence in December 1984.

<i>Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain</i> 2014 Indian English-language historical drama film

Bhopal: A Prayer for Rain is a 2014 Indian English-language historical drama film directed by Ravi Kumar. Based on the Bhopal disaster that happened in India on 2–3 December 1984, the film stars Martin Sheen, Mischa Barton, Kal Penn, Rajpal Yadav, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Fagun Thakrar. Benjamin Wallfisch composed the film's music. Kumar's idea for making a film based on the Bhopal disaster came after he read a book about it. Shot over a period of 18 months, it was originally scheduled for a late 2010 release. However, the lack of responses from distributors kept delaying the release.

Rashida Bee is an Indian activist from Bhopal. She was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2004, together with Champa Devi Shukla. The two have struggled for justice for the surviving victims of the 1984 Bhopal disaster, when 20,000 people were killed, and organized campaigns and trials against those responsible for the disaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal</span> Medical college in Madhya Pradesh, India

Gandhi Medical College is a medical college in Madhya Pradesh, India. Established in 1956, it is located at Fatehgarh, Royal Market Area, Bhopal.

Satinath (Sathyu) Sarangi was born in Chakradharpur, Jharkhand, India, on 25 September 1954. Since 1984 he has lived in Bhopal. Sarangi has been involved with the multiple activities run by a network of local, national, and international groups, pursuing health and economic needs, fighting legal claims, providing medical support, and working to ensure remembrance of the Bhopal disaster of 1984. Sarangi is the founder of several activist organizations and is also the founder and manager of Sambhavna Trust.

Rachna Dhingra is a social activist working in Bhopal with the survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy, a gas leak from a Union Carbide plant in 1984 that has killed 20,000 people. She is also currently a member of the Aam Aadmi Party of India.

Rajkumar Keswani was a senior journalist.

The Remember Bhopal Museum is a museum in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India that commemorates the Bhopal disaster. It collects and exhibits artifacts and records of the affected communities. The museum was opened on 2 December 2014, the 30th anniversary of the disaster.

References

  1. "Rashida Bee & Champa Devi Shukla". Goldman Environmental Foundation. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Champa Devi Shukla (India) | WikiPeaceWomen – English". wikipeacewomen.org. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  3. Reuters Editorial. "In Bhopal, two women spark hope for disaster's disabled children". IN. Retrieved 23 December 2017.{{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  4. "Rashida Bee of Bhopal, India, fights against the company that devastated her community". Grist. 20 April 2004. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  5. "Champa Devi Shukla, Goldman Award Winner and activist from Bhopal, stands vigil at India Gate, New Delhi on the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal Gas Disaster". Greenpeace India. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  6. "Rashida Bee & Champa Devi Shukla - Goldman Environmental Foundation". Goldman Environmental Foundation. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  7. "Their story is the story of Bhopal - Livemint". www.livemint.com. Retrieved 23 December 2017.