Kurukshetra Techfest Sponsorship by DOW Chemicals

Dear Alumnus of Anna University/CEG,

25th anniversary of Bhopal gas tragedy was observed recently. It is with horror we remind ourselves that the victims have not been properly rehabilitated, justice is yet to be done and the perpetrators of that worst disaster are still scot-free. Union Carbide, the corporation responsible for that tragedy, is hiding behind DOW Chemicals which acquired it. While DOW uses all loopholes to avoid Indian judiciary, it misses no opportunity to gain legitimacy in India. It has been trying to sponsor various events organised by reputed educational institutions and media outlets. But in most places, it has not been welcome.

1) In 2007 students and professors of IIT Madras made sure that DOW is banned from sponsoring college events and recruiting students in campus
2) In November 2009 'The Hindu' has cancelled associate sponsorhip from DOW Chemicals after protests from readers

Now it has come to light that DOW has been sponsoring Kurukshetra techfest events since 2008 at College of Engineering Guindy. It is understandable that institutions are hard-pressed for sponsorship, and they would happily welcome big sponsorships from corporations. However accepting money from tainted corporations like DOW would seriously undermine the reputation of CEG.

It is also disheartening to know that college administration and organising committee of the Kurukshetra event have not been very open and transparent about their decision to take DOW's sponsorship. There has been no discussion among students and faculties about the ethical issues pertaining to taking sponsorship money from DOW or similar companies. Permission have been denied for Bhopal victims to meet the dean and to conduct an awareness session on Bhopal tragedy. Annexure I contains mail from Bhopal victims to organising committee.

In this context it has become critical for the alumni to raise our voices in protest of DOW's association with CEG to protect the moral character and reputation of College of Engineering, Guindy.

As an immediate act, we can all send a note to the Dean (munusekar@annauniv.edu ) and Kurukshetra organising committee ( industryrelations@kurukshetra.org.in 98944 13465) that DOWs association with CEG is bad for our college's reputation.

We can also promise them to compensate any loss of sponsorship money by running a fund-drive among alumni, faculties and students. A model letter is attached in Annexure II

There are 9 more days to go for the event to start. We should act immediately and spread the message to as many alumni as possible.

Thanks
Jayakumar Palanivel
Year 2000, CEG, B.E, Mechanical Engineering

Annexure I

From: satinath sarangi <justiceinbhopal@yahoo.co.in>
Date: Tue, Oct 27, 2009 at 9:30 AM
Subject: Kurukshetra Techfest : request for a public debate on bhopal
To: justiceinbhopal@yahoo.co.in
Cc: nity68.new@gmail.com, javednaqi@gmail.com

To: Organising Committee Members of Kurukshetra Techfest
College of Engineering
Anna University, Guindy
Chennai


From: Survivors of the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal

Dear friends:
We, the below-signed, are representatives and leaders of organisations of survivors of the 1984 gas disaster. We are in our 50s and 60s and we are those that were unfortunate enough to survive the disaster, while members of our family were wiped out by the poisonous gas. I say we are unfortunate not merely because we lost our dear ones that night on December 2-3, 1984, but that we have had to struggle every inch of the way to secure justice for ourselves. We are writing to you because we learnt from your website that Dow Chemical -- the new owner of Union Carbide -- is the key sponsor for Kurukshetra. This is very unfortunate, not merely because of Dow's status as an owner of Union Carbide, but also because of Dow's own track record of death, devastation and injury. You can read about Dow, Bhopal, and the actions taken in IITs around the country in the attached Viewspaper prepared and published by students of IIT Madras.

The 4 minute film titled "Hush Baby" at http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=X7usKzO0se0 will highlight the second-generation problems and the health effects suffered by our children to this day. www.bhopal.org and www.studentsforbhopal.org will give you a resources to help you develop an understanding of how the disaster occurred and the roles played by various agencies since that. We believe that as youngsters who were not born at the time of the disaster, you may not really know about the true extent of the problem, and of Dow's role in the ongoing tragedy in Bhopal.

That is why we wish to alert you, and request you to help us and to protect your names in the process, by removing Dow Chemical's name from your list of sponsors. We respect your right to take the decision, but we wish to ensure that your decision is taken after you are in possession of all information, and have heard us out. We are happy to personally visit Chennai, at our own cost, and speak to you and other interested students as to why we are insistent that Dow does not gain legitimacy through its association with you. We welcome the opportunity to speak to you in the presence of a representative from Dow so that you have not only our viewpoint, but also Dow's and that you are exposed to a debate on the subject.

While the support to our struggle from various quarters, not to forget young students like yourselves, has been heartening, we have also been dejected by the levels of apathy and even worse by decisions taken by people to weigh our miseries against their own compulsions to patronise Dow, and vote in favour of the latter. In 2007, our spirits and our struggle were immensely strengthened when students in IIT Madras educated themselves about Dow Chemical and Bhopal, and decided to reject Dow's offer for Rs. 11 lakh jobs as an act of solidarity with the struggle in Bhopal, and to send a message to Dow that money cannot buy them a way out of their responsibilities in Bhopal.

Unlike Dow, we are not rich, and cannot offer to compensate you for what you will be forsaking if you decide to believe us and reject Dow's sponsorship for Kurukshetra. However, we speak the truth and we can only offer you the satisfaction of being part of our struggle to ensure that the children of Bhopal have a better future, that companies like Dow don't take India and Indians for granted, that crimes against environment and humanity do not go unpunished, and that Dow is thwarted in its attempts to use its money to buy legitimacy.

This letter is copied to a long-time volunteer of the Bhopal campaign, Nityanand Jayaraman (Cell: 9444082401), who is based in Chennai and can brief you if you think that is necessary. Again, we'd be happy to travel to Chennai to talk to you, and we request that if nothing else, you don't approach Dow Chemical until you have given us -- the victims of the world's worst industrial disaster -- an opportunity to explain to you why you should not get yourself tainted with money from Dow. Associating with Dow Chemical is a hugely unpopular move that will bring upon worldwide condemnation.

In solidarity and wishing you a successful Kurukshetra.
Sincerely,

Rashida Bi, Champa Devi Shukla

Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmachari Sangh

94256 88215

Syed M Irfan,

Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Purush Sangharsh Morcha

93290 26319

Satinath Sarangi, Rachna Dhingra

Bhopal Group for Information and Action

98261 67369

Annexure II

Dear Dean/VC:
We learnt about an ongoing debate regarding approaching Dow Chemical for a sponsorship. We are sure that by now, you're well acquainted with the facts of the case. It is irrefutable that Union Carbide Corporation, Dow Chemical's subsidiary, is currently wanted for culpable homicide by the Chief Judicial Magistrate's court in Bhopal. As a Government-run institution, it is highly irregular to so openly associate with a company whose 100 percent owned subsidiary is wanted by the Bhopal court in connection with a major crime.

It is a fact that since 1992, the company has been declared an absconder by the court. It is a fact that there are thousands of tons of toxic wastes in and around the factory site, and that these wastes are leaching their poisons into the groundwater. It is also a certainty that the grossly high incidence of birth defects among children born to parents exposed to the gas or to the poisonous water are a direct result of Dow Chemical's negligence. Dow is no stranger to controversies involving poisoning of communities. It is no ordinary company. Refer to the rapsheet on Dow that was published in Ecologist Asia a few years back, and you'll find more than one reason why you should not be swayed by the offer of money from Dow. The rapsheet is at:
http://www.thetruthaboutdow.org/article.php?id=1299

At the very least, we request that you have a well-informed public debate about the merits (or lack thereof) of having Dow as your sponsor before approaching them for money. As alumni of CEG, we have a lot of affection for the College, and wish the institution and you all our very best. Your action of avoiding Dow Chemical, and sending a sign of solidarity to the survivors of the Bhopal disaster would really make us proud.

Hoping to hear from you.
Sincerely,

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