Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry

I think many wont be able to guess what Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry refers to.Its the Bhopal Gas Tragedy,one of the worst industrial disasters in history.On December 3,1984,poisonous gas(Methyl Isocyanate)leaked from Union Carbide India Limited(UCIL’s)pesticide plant in Bhopal,killing thousands of people.According to hospital and rehabilitation records,its estimated that about 20,000 people died and about 5.7 lakhs suffered.People who breathed the poisonous gas suffered a horrible death with multiple organ failure and those who survived have multiple diseases(partial or complete blindness,gastrointestinal disorders,impaired immune systems,post traumatic stress disorders,etc.) even after 25 years of this nightmare.The consequences of this tragic event is endless.A rise in spontaneous abortions,stillbirths,and offspring with genetic defects(means the children of the survirors also suffered even though they were not yet born at that time) was also noted.Such was the effect of the industrial massacre that its jolt persisted till now and unfortunately will continue for some years to come as well.

Although a quarter of a century has passed,the victims are still searching for justice and truth.The accident can be termed as a “process” rather than an “event” because there seems to be no end to the ordeal of the victims.An organization of victims has condemned the government for pushing to incinerate toxic wastes from the closed pesticide despite the recommendations of experts.Moreover the details on the extradition of Warren Anderson(then Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation)portray a bleak picture.It is hardly shocking that the U.S refuses to extradite Mr.Anderson using dubious legal loopholes.It is an an irony to see that the U.S is pressuring Pakisthan to act against those responsible for the Mumbai attack(26/11),while giving a deaf ear to India’s request for Mr.Anderson’s extradition.Even assuming for a moment that he is extradited,punishment,if any, is most unlikely to be pronounced in his lifetime because in India,trials proceed at snail’s pace. And its disheartening to note that government as well as people giving more importance to the investigation and victims of 26/11 Mumbai attacks than the Bhopal victims.The reasons are crystal clear.Firstly,the victims in the Mumbai attack were rich people and tourist.Secondly,media’s role in depicting the terror caused by live telecasting(something which was not possible for the latter’s case).Concerts are held in the memory of deceased victims of 26/11 while neglecting the Bhopal victims.

The elite class always escape from the arms of law without even a case filed against them for the most heinous crime.When our own people here have the means and to escape,to even think about a foreign investor will be brought to justice is absurd.The world is run by money-launderers,unethical businessmen and greedy politicians.The poor class can only dream of justice.The utter lack of sympathy for the Bhopal gas victims by successive governments leaves one wondering whether there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel.Its a classic case of “justice delayed is justice denied”(which is not a new experience in India).

Shiv Sena v/s Sachin

In an interaction with the media on completing 20 years in international cricket, Tendulkar had said, "I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But I am an Indian first. And Mumbai belongs to all Indians." Is there any flaw in that sentence?? Is’nt every citizen of India staying at any of the states, a Indian first…?!!

Sachin didn’t show disrespect to Maharashtra,he said he’s extremely “proud” of being a Marathi, then what made Bal Thackery to rebuke?? Just because Sachin said that he was an Indian first!! Regionality comes after nationality. First we are Indians and then Marathi or Gujarati or Punjabi,etc. Is it fair on the part of a political leader in India to criticize such a great cricketer( on these grounds?  The master-blaster is playing for India,and out of his sportsmanship quality what he said,he’s been retaliated by Thackery .Why does the Shiv Sena fail to understand that Maharashtra is a part of India? No other political leader from any of the states boasts of their state as Thackery. Its simply because they are trying to provoke feelings to get some votes.But only a handful of people will support Thackery and the majority would not. Given a choice Maharashtrians will take Sachin over him any day.

What Sachin has done for this country will leave an indelible mark in the nation’s history.His achievements have brought laurels to India& we are proud of this.But what has Thackery done in comparison to this? Creating such irrelevant issues giving way to a nation-wide uproar just to gain votes from people (But there was a time when people admired his stand for Hinduism). This time the Sena and the Supremo have just gone too far - its Sachin Tendulkar we’re talking about. This is the man who has a special place and each Indian’s heart. Whole of India and all Maharashtrians, excluding a few Shiv Sena leaders and leaders of Thackeray's party are with Tendulkar because people understand that calling oneself an Indian is not a crime!!

Media and its impact on the youngsters

Media has a greater impact on the younger generation more that the school or family has on them.The means of media which influence young generation are television, radio, internet, newspapers, magazines, books, broadcasting and text publishers. All these manipulate youngsters in what concerns culture, politics, social life, religion, fashion, education, sports and other interests too. The media plays a substantial role in the building of attitudes, behaviour and physical aspects of youth today.

Almost each teenager has a TV in his room and he may stick to it for hours together to watch a show, a movie or to find out any interesting information in the discovery channel. But they are not realizing that the TV shows them what they want to see and not what they are supposed to see. Nowadays, TV focuses more on entertainment s (we cannot deny that) although the three pillars of media are : information, education and entertainment. Here, the TRP ratings come into the scene which compels the channels to show only what the audience wants to see. Then, the internet has become much more important than the TV because it offers a variety of facts on different areas of interest. Now teenagers download a movie from the internet and watch it at home instead of going to cinema halls. Moreover they can communicate with friends and relatives no matter how far they are. Most of the youngsters spend maximum time on the internet in chatting or orkutting or tweeting or using facebook, etc. They get hooked up for hours in front of their PC/laptop. They prefer not to buy newspapers & amp; magazines as they can read them from the internet. Advertisements play a special role as they can influence young people to buy different things or to follow certain behaviours.

Media strongly affects youth culture. It is one of the important means to reach out to the masses and mould their thinking and decision making. The positive media cannot attract attention of the masses and to gain viewership, negative media has to be incorporated to balance out and attract the masses but a line has to be drawn between the positive and the negative media in the interest of the gen next......!!!