Kick Dow Chemicals's ass, the Indian way

A lot has been said and written over the Bhopal gas tragedy judgement over the last few days, and quite rightly so. The shock and consternation over the lack of value of the victims’ lives and the governmental and judiciary collusion for the benefit of Union Carbide instead of against it is appalling.

There have been calls to extradite Warren Anderson from the US, to reopen the case, for the SC to review its judgement et al. But all of this seems like crying over spilt milk, simply because none of these are likely to happen. Warren Anderson is unlikely to be extradited at his ripe old age. We should now allow him to face his own demons elsewhere. Dow Chemicals is unlikely to cough up any further compensation. In its own words, it has taken over Union Carbide’s assets but not its liabilities. And increasing the terms of the now 60ish managers of UC is just punishing the pawns and anyways not justice enough to the victims.

So what do we do? What does India and we Indians do to show that such things wont be tolerated ever again, that an Indian life is worth as much as a first world country’s citizen’s life? We must do what we I feel a modern day Gandhiji would have done, albeit a little more aggressively. Boycott the bloody firm. Boycott Dow Chemicals and every company, every subsidiary, every product, every damn thing associated with it. BAN the company and all its outlets and subsidiaries from India. Peacefully refuse to use anything produced by a firm which has no sense of corporate responsibility nor value for human life and emotions. Not a single chemical produced or distributed by Dow Chemicals should be utilised by India, or for that matter by any Indian across the globe. Try and convince other countries and people to do the same.

I never imagined that the firm would have the guts to conduct business in India. But a check on the net had me shell-shocked. ‘The company has so far invested about $200 million in India with two manufacturing sites and three centres of excellence. The company has so far registered sales of 550 million dollars in India and is aiming for a three-fold increase in sales by 2010’ – Wall Street Journal. Dow Chemicals earns $550 million from Indian sales!!!! Shocking.

Further information from a site called bhopal.net says ‘Dow currently has, as far as we know, four subsidiaries located in India:
1. Dow Chemical (India) Private Ltd. Dow is 100% owner
2. Dow Chemical International Private Ltd. Dow is 100% owner
3. Anabond Essex India Private Limited
4. DE-NOCIL Crop Protection Ltd.’

All this is really appaling. For me, the best response India can give to Dow Chemicals is to send it packing out of our country for good. It might not make the company go into bankruptcy or cause heavy losses, but it will cause a substantial dip in its profits for sure. It will somewhat soothen the frayed nerves of the victims. And it will send out a firm message to the world to never take India and Indians so callously ever again.