Write a Comment <http://news.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/jun/10/slide-show-1-bhopal-survivors-recount-the-tragedy.htm#write> *Next* <javascript:;;> *Prasanna D Zore*<http://mypage.rediff.com/profile/getprofile/Prasanna%20D%20Zore/12158415>in Bhopal
*Rediff.com's* *Prasanna D Zore* speaks to the survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy, who recount their tales of horror after chief judicial magistrate Mohan P Tiwari gave his verdict on June 7, after a tortuous 25-year fight for justice. "Yes I am Shamshad Bi," says a voice from the other end of the phone that sounds like that of a teenager. "I will introduce you to a number of people who lost their wives, sons, mothers, daughters and in-laws in the tragedy and can recount the horror of that night for you," she assures. "You come to J P Nagar where there is a statue of a mother holding her infant son in her arms as she weeps and tries to run (away from MIC)," says the lady when you ask her about the meeting point. You feel Shamshad Bi--as she is fondly called by the denizens of this lower middle class mohalla that spreads across the road where Union Carbide India plant is located -- is happy-go-lucky type, who must have been born much after the Bhopal gas tragedy and hence was so oblivious of the sorrows and pain of the people whom she had promised to introduce to this correspondent. The surprise registers when you come across a 48-year-old lady who, clad in a burqa and red dupatta to cover her head, stands before you. She walks with a brisk pace as she introduces me to 40-year old Rehana Bi, 47-year old Mohammed Habeeb, 60-year old Tulsiram,60-year old Jamunabai, 76-year old Mohammed Sabir, 57-year old Kusum Bai and 76 year old Ganesh Ram, all of whom survived not only the spread of the dreaded methyl isocyanate,that engulfed the city, but also the deaths of their kith and kin. The surprise turns into shock when Kusum Bai tells that Shamshad Bi lost her two-year old son Raja and her mother-in-law on the night of December 2 and later her husband succumbed to a lung cancer that he developed because of the gases that entered his bloodstream on that fateful night. "I am alive today only because I keep myself occupied with the sorrows of other people," she tells you, whe she is told that she doesnt look like a victim. "*Main hansti, khelti rehti hu isiliye zinda hoon*" (*I try to smile and keep myself happy. That's one of the reasons why I am alive today)," says Shamshad Bi. "My son and mother-in-law died the same night. I lost two people from my family but there are several others who lost more than 10 family members in just a few hours. I keep telling myself there are people who suffered bigger tragedies than I did and yet are carrying on with their lives. "*Unka gam dekhkar apna gam bhool jaati hoon*" (I see their sorrows and forget my own)," she says matter-of-factly. *Image: *Shamshad Bi stands with a photograph of her family who died in the tragedy *Photographs: *Prasanna D Zore -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB.
