ONE OF the most recognised images of the Bhopal gas tragedy is the photograph of a dead baby covered in rubble. Clicked by Indian photojournalist Pablo Barathlemow, the photograph captures the world's worst industrial disaster that unfolded in the heart of India in 1984. The image, which won the World Press Photo of the Year award in 1985, still keeps appearing in news programmes and publications the world over around the disaster's anniversary-December 2-3-as a reminder of the cost of industrial negligence.
There are many untold stories around the tragedy that took place on that cold December night in Bhopal. A disaster many saw coming and did little to prevent; a disaster that choked an entire city and tested limits of human empathy and resilience.
The Railway Men-The Untold Story Of Bhopal 1984, a Netflix series directed by Shiv Rawail, explores the many dimensions of the tragedy through the eyes of unsung heroes. The show, which has all the ingredients to be a good survival thriller, is sadly a painfully slow soap that dwells on the many dramas of the characters than the industrial disaster.
The series starts by juxtaposing real visuals with filmed shots to set a "docufiction" tone and reiterates that "it is based on real events" even though the characters' stories at times move away from reality. The series sets the context of the disaster early on. The false alarm scene in the factory gives a picture of negligence, of untrained employees, and of the stereotypical white villain with caricature expressions.
Denne historien er fra December 16, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
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Denne historien er fra December 16, 2023-utgaven av Down To Earth.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE GREAT FARM HUSTLE
Agroforestry is fast emerging as a win-win strategy to mitigate climate change and improve farmers' income. It is particularly so in India, home to one-fifth of the agroforestry carbon projects in the world. Over the past months ROHINI KRISHNAMURTHY has travelled to almost 20 villages across the country to understand how this market works. At all locations, she finds that communities and their land and labour are central to the projects. But they do not always benefit from the carbon revenue
CAN AGROFORESTRY CREDITS BE SAVED?
Ensure that farmers benefit from the carbon revenue and stay protected against market failure
Urban trap
Fearing loss of autonomy and access to government schemes, several villages across India are protesting against the decision to change their status to town
Dubious distinction
How Madhya Pradesh displaced Punjab as the country's leading state in stubble burning
TRADE TENSIONS
Why the benefits of agroforestry carbon trade do not trickle down to farmers
A fantastical lens
BIOPECULIARIS A LAUDABLE ATTEMPT TO CARVE A SPACE FOR SPECULATIVE CLIMATE FICTION WITHIN INDIAN LITERATURE. WHILE THE STORIES MAY NOT ALWAYS HIT THEIR MARK, THE ANTHOLOGY IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN A GENRE THAT DESERVES MORE ATTENTION
Help on hold
US' decision to pause foreign aid could lead to hunger deaths, ruin economies of nations across Africa
Irrigation by snow
Declining rain and snowfall make farmers collect snow from higher altitudes to water their apple crops
Stem the rot
A fungal disease has hit the most widely sown sugarcane variety in Uttar Pradesh, threatening the country's sugar production
The mythos of ancient India's scientific excellence
Policymakers are obsessed by a fuddled idea of resurrecting a glorious civilisational past, and even IITs have fallen in line
