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    • For Women, A Shaved Head Is Often A Mark Of Protest, Both Political And Personal

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    The Bhopal Gas Tragedy began on 2nd December 1984 with a toxic gas leak from Union Carbide’s pesticide plant, killing thousands and maiming many more. But it did not end at dawn on December 3rd.  For the women who live in the neighbourhoods surrounding the abandoned Union Carbide factory, the gas never left their consciousness. And while the factory may stand abandoned today, the chemicals continue to seep into the soil and groundwater. And not a single person has been convicted for a crime that has spanned generations.   Therefore, remembering Bhopal is a political act. To remember Bhopal is to refuse the lie that this violence belongs to the past. In this podcast, ⁠Tulika Bansal (an independent researcher)⁠ and ⁠Rachna Dhingra (an activist working with survivors for 20+ years) take us through what it means to live with – and collectively remember – the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, four decades on.  At ⁠BehanBox⁠, we are committed to keeping the Bhopal story alive as a living political reality. This podcast is part of our two-week-long campaign, where we bring you stories, interviews, songs of resistance, and reporting that centre the voices of Bhopal’s women campaigners. Read our reporting on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy: https://behanbox.com/2025/12/02/bhopal-gas-tragedy-the-disaster-lives-on-in-the-women-of-bhopal-41-years-later/ -- Song sung by Meera More, as part of the ⁠⁠Remember Bhopal Museum⁠⁠ -- Thumbnail and illustrations by ⁠⁠Urvi Sawant -- ⁠⁠Hosted by ⁠⁠Anjali⁠⁠ -- Edited by Vijay Chawla Follow us and subscribe for more (it's free!): https://www.behanbox.substack.com
    Bhopal Gas Tragedy: 41 Years on, Women Continue to Fight | BehanBox
    Kheria Sabar form a subgroup among the Sabar people, who live in West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. India’s 2011 census estimates its population at 1.8 lakh in West Bengal. They were a nomadic, forest-dwelling and forest-dependent people, where the women would engage in foraging, and the men, hunting. The 1871 Criminal Tribes Act and the 1952 Habitual Offenders Act had penalised and stigmatised Sabar people for nearly a century. The nationalisation of forests in India threatened to evict them from their native forest habitats. At the very least, it restricted their ability to forage for wild food in the absence of paperwork proving entitlement. This film is about food, yes—but not the kind that comes neatly packaged. It’s about food as inheritance, food as memory, food as resistance. It’s about the slow erasure of indigenous diets by climate change, deforestation, and policy neglect. This video features voices from the Kheria Sabar community and those working to keep their knowledge alive. 🎥 Produced with support from Earth Journalism Network Follow us: Website: https://behanbox.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BehanBox Instagram: https://instagram.com/behanbox LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/linkedin-behanbox
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