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Poisoned Paradise
Rectifying a Global Corporation’s Negligence
Speakers
On the occasion of World Nature Conservation Day, we are hosting a book discussion on the investigative account of a global corporation’s role in perpetrating India’s greatest mercury poisoning catastrophe.
In 2001, a Hindustan Unilever-owned thermometer factory in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, made national headlines when a massive dump of broken mercury thermometers was discovered at a local scrapyard. As the multinational corporation conducted one hasty internal assessment after another to save face, state authorities discovered that the company had violated all acceptable guidelines for toxic waste disposal measures, causing grievous harm to its workers’ health and the region’s fragile ecosystem. As evidence of mercury poisoning among workers mounted, the local community – aided by environmental watchdog Greenpeace and various public-interest organizations – launched a battle against the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that would last fifteen years, culminating in an undisclosed settlement paid to 600 of its ex-employees. And despite the factory’s closure, scientific reports would reveal mercury levels to be 1,000 times higher than the safe limit, raising serious concerns about HUL’s toxic legacy in the hill station.
The panel will discuss issues raised in Ameer Shahul’s book, Heavy Metal: How a Global Corporation Poisoned Kodaikanal. A Q&A with the audience will follow.
Speakers
Ameer Shahul
Ameer Shahul was an investigative journalist with Reuters, Agence France-Presse (AFP), and PTI. He has traveled widely to report on issues ranging from war to the workforce. He is an Indian public policy and advocacy expert working in the area of technology and green policies with a focus on emerging technologies. Inspired by a campaign by the local community in Kodaikanal, he took a hiatus from his journalistic career in 2002 and joined Greenpeace to support the community on the damage inflicted on the biodiverse ecosystem by a global corporation through its reckless acts of omission and commission. A voracious reader and writer, he writes on issues of environment, technology, and public policy.
Disha Ravi
Disha Ravi is a climate and environmental justice activist who founded Fridays For Future India in 2018. After seeing her family impacted by the water crisis she became an activist advocating for better policies and governance for the climate and environmental sector. Disha is a writer, passionate about making sure the voices of MAPA (the Most Affected People and Areas) are heard in climate conversations.
B T Venkatesh
B T Venkatesh, a former State Public Prosecutor of the High Court of Karnataka is a Lawyer who has worked extensively on the issues and challenges of excluded, marginalised, and stigmatised communities. He is the Founder of ReachLawyer a Network of Lawyers, Activists, Journalists, Academics and Students, and Concerned Citizens.
He is known for his decades of work on Civil Liberties, Worker’s Rights, LGBTQIA Rights, Women’s Rights, and Child Rights. He is a former Professor at Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore. He is a teacher, trainer, and inspirational speaker.
Anna Isaac
Anna Isaac is a journalist with nearly 15 years of full-time experience in television and digital platforms. She has covered a wide range of stories from Parliamentary Elections in India, the impact of the Sri Lankan civil war on Indian politics, to the 2015 floods in Chennai and the COVID-19 pandemic. Her reporting expertise include politics, policy and the environment. She presently works as Executive Editor-Video Strategy at The News Minute. Anna also hosts a weekly show on The News Minute’s YouTube channel called ‘Let Me Explain’, which breaks down topics of national importance in under 10 minutes.
