Imagine walking in grueling heat, your chappals worn down to a thin film of ru  bber, your heels blistered with sores. Imagine relying on the goodness of strangers to feed and house you. Imagine walking 850 kilometers for the right proper medical care, clean drinking water, and a poison-free future. The survivors of the Bhopal gas disaster are putting their lives at stake by marching from Bhopal to New Delhi, starting on February 20, 2008.
It was exactly two years ago, in the spring of 2006, that fifty-five survivors had marched to the capital to meet with the Prime Minister. After many arrests, national media coverage, and a weeklong hunger fast, the Prime Minister promised them clean drinking water, proper medical care, pension for widows and children orphaned by the disaster, and the inclusion of Bhopal in school curricula. Two years later, these promises are unfulfilled.
Various AID chapters participated in the Postcard Mail-In Action where volunteers collected signatures on postcards addressed to Manmohan Singh, asking him to 'Walk Your Talk'. Other chapters collected signatures on saffron or green strips of cloth in a Flag Signing Action, creating a large flowing 'tiranga' to be presented to the Padyatris at their arrival in Delhi.
Pragya Bhagat, AID Austin
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