Search the Internet          Tips

Dominique Lapierre reminds the world of Bhopal

Ranvir Nayar in Paris

After aiding thousands of citizens of his City of Joy Calcutta, French author Dominique Lapierre has launched a new crusade -- getting justice for the survivors of the Bhopal gas tragedy.

On December 3, 1984, a gas leak from a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh, killed nearly 3,000 people and left several hundreds of thousands with lingering health problems.

Lapierre has written a book, It etait minuit cinq a Bhopal [It was five past midnight in Bhopal], which he says is meant to highlight the tragedy, amongst the worst industrial disasters to hit humankind.

"However, it has been forgotten, especially in the West, where it has been overtaken by subsequent tragedies like the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Even though Bhopal is on a much larger scale, it has been forgotten here since India is far away from the West and people here were not even indirectly affected by the tragedy," he says.

"I hope the book will contribute to help many of the 150,000 victims who are still suffering from the consequences of the tragedy and who have never received adequate compensation."

Lapierre says his book is already showing signs of success. Dow Chemicals, which has since bought over Union Carbide, has indicated that it is prepared to collaborate in helping the victims of the tragedy.

"This is the first sign that the book has shaken the mentality of the people," says the author.

"We also have to take into account," he adds, "that there might be other lunatics who are prepared to install other Bhopals along the world. This book is to serve them a strong notice that they should refrain from such moves."

Soon after the book was released in France, Lapierre received letters from President Jacques Chirac and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, expressing appreciation for his work.

"Interestingly enough," he says, "Jospin wrote to me that it was after reading the book that he decided to evacuate Vimy, a middle-sized town in northern France where 50,000 shells of phosgene from World War I had begun to cause a problem due to leaks."

The book, which has been released in France and Spain so far, has been making waves in literary circles since its launch in June. It has been hailed as the literary event of 2001 by the French media.

It has already received its first prize, La Prix des Maison de la Presse (the Prize of the Publishing Houses), a prestigious literary honour given each year by an association of over 30,000 bookstores, libraries and newsagents.

Lapierre says the book has also received considerable interest from the cinema world, especially Hollywood. "Noted director Oliver Stone is interested and actor Jeremy Irons has expressed keen interest in playing a part in the movie. Famous Spanish actress Penelope Cruz is also interested in playing the part of Padmini, the heroine of the book who gets married on the night of the tragedy," he says.

The royalty from the sale of the book in India will go to the City of Joy Foundation, which Lapierre created for humanitarian activities. Besides, half the royalty from the worldwide sales will go to humanitarian action in Bhopal.

As part of his drive, Lapierre has already opened a gynaecology clinic in Bhopal that gives free treatment to the poorest of the victims still suffering from the consequences of the tragedy.

Lapierre says he will lay the foundation for a much larger clinic on Saturday, September 8, to coincide with the release of the Indian edition of the book in Bhopal, after which it will be released in other markets.

More than 100,000 copies in Italian will hit the markets on September 25, with the American and British editions close on its heels.

Lapierre says he got inspired to write the book when he was approached by the Sambhavna Trust, a non-governmental organisation in Bhopal that has been fighting to help the victims of the tragedy, to help build a clinic in Bhopal.

"It was three years ago," says Lapierre, "I visited Bhopal for the first time and I fell in love with the city. I gave the funds for the clinic.

"But then I had a revolt within me. I began to find why it was that a fairy tale of building a pesticide plant for Indian farmers had turned into a titanic nightmare. And that is when I decided to tell the story of Bhopal."

Lapierre has written the book with a young Spanish writer, Javier Moro. It is being published in India by Full Circle and will soon be released in Hindi and Bengali as well. Other Indian language editions will follow soon, says the author.

Indo-Asian News Service

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report