Still carrying the Carbide cross

Vijay Gokhale, then MD, Union Carbide, who had to bear the fury fumes of the Bhopal gas leak, speaks out 25 years after the tragedy

Still carrying the Carbide cross

Vijay Gokhale, then MD, Union Carbide, who had to bear the fury fumes of the Bhopal gas leak, speaks out 25 years after the tragedy

As the world marked 25 years of the Union Carbide gas leak in Bhopal on December 3 2009, the former Managing Director (MD) of the company, Vijay Gokhale who is based in Mumbai and now retired, sighs as he says, "I expected a media blitzkrieg, of course. That is a given. But I am not a person who runs away from problems. I never have."

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No running away
I got a phone call on that night, 25 years ago, alerting me about the tragedy. I was in Mumbai and flew at once to Bhopal. As managing director, I drove around the affected streets. People told me, 'Are you mad? There is so much anger on the streets. They will kill you.' One colleague accompanied me, refusing to let me go alone and risking his life in the process. When I saw the suffering, I got out of the car and folded my hands in a namaste-like gesture. Instead of stones and anger, people actually nodded their heads at me as if acknowledging that I had come.

In Custody
I was put into custody for a week in Bhopal. In fact, Carbide was advised by lawyers not to speak, not to say anything. The media was under pressure to report and only one side of the story got told.u00a0

Stress signals
The stress manifested itself physically, post-Bhopal. I became a high BP patient, had so many sleepless nights and even suffered a minor heart attack, but this was nothing compared to the suffering of the victims.

In Mumbai
It was hard to face people. For the first three weeks when I returned to Mumbai after being in custody in Bhopal, I did not go out at all. Then, I realised, I cannot continue living this way, I cannot run away forever.

Social acquaintances had a field day. At parties some of the barbs I took were, 'Vijay you are here? Are you Nathuram Godse or Vijay Gokhale?' Those barbs have been forgotten, as my friends and well-wishers stood solid behind me. I have made some kind of peace with myself, my fate. Yet, I cannot make peace with what happened that day in Bhopal. The pain of those victims is as sharp now as it was then. I still carry the Carbide cross.

On Dec 3 1984, methyl isocynate leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal. 2009 marks 25 years of the Bhopal Gas tragedy

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