"THE RAILWAY MEN" - The Untold Story of Bhopal (India) 1984

Indian must-see mini-series drawing parallels with the pandemic

BIG INDUSTRY—STATES—THE MEN AND THE MEDICAL SCIENCE :

PARALLELS BETWEEN THE TRAGEDY IN BHOPAL (INDIA) AND THE PANDEMIC

Here in India, where I reside, I got acquainted with the (short) Indian series 'The Railway Men' on Netflix. This one I would personally recommend because of the true story that hides behind it.

For some of you, the name Union Carbide (today DOW Chemicals) will make a ring. At that time, it was about the largest producer of chemicals on earth. This American company had set up a factory in Bophal, India, for the sake of cheap labour and a government that had little resources to implement safety checks.

Although Union Carbide had internal reports that the plant was completely unsafe to produce methylisocyanide (MIC), no improvement was made in the safety structure. MIC is a very unstable compound that can set to explode when temperatures rise, releasing pure cyanide.

On the night of December 2, 1984, the disaster set in. Untrained personnel were faced with a poorly functioning cooling system. The wrong decision tree that followed caused the bulk to explode, and the highly toxic cyanide was released to about 7 km around the plant that was located in the middle of a central living area.

Within an hour, about 3,500 people died. In the next 48 hours, another 8,500 would have died (depending on the source). The total number of deaths in the following weeks and months was estimated at 20,000. Next to respiratory distress, the symptoms included severe eye irritation and blindness.

(financialexpress.com/india-news/bhopal-gas-tragedy-33-years-after-disaster-city-still-cries-foul/958239/)

This Indian series (in typical Hindi-English, but with English subtitles) is cinematographically speaking not an absolute high-roller (they really make top films here that even surpass Hollywood), but nevertheless very captivating!

The Railway Men perfectly reflect how the world really is. The Americans struck themselves away and tried to evade responsibility. The Indian government, with limited resources and infrastructure, was left hanging in the ropes. The local population died by the bushes, and the Americans couldn't care less.

Although there was an antidote, sodium thiosulfate, Union Carbide (UC) did not suggest it to the Indian government. The Indian government initially was kept in the dark on the real cause of the tragedy. A "slightly irritating agent”, it was called by UC in the initial aftermath. The German scientists who had previously informed UC of the possible consequences if something went wrong, were canceled and ignored.

Without releasing even more of the plot, this is a must-see four-part mini-series. The series is set around a railway line that, in reality, also played a major role in this tragedy. A second storyline emerges, which is also based on facts. In the aftermath of the murder of Indira Gandhi, for which a Sikh was held responsible, the Sikhs were regularly attacked and killed. Also on the train line that passed Bhopal-Junction that night. The railway personnel then played an important role in both the poison outbreak that unfolded, and with regards to the terrorists who attacked the Sikhs on the train.

It sketches a beautiful picture of how different powers and interests are played out, in which the truth of even the sponsored science is suppressed for the greater profit. Human interactions show that when push comes to shove, there are always little heroes who can make a difference.

The film has many analogies with the pandemic and its aftermath. I suspect that is also why the producers came up with this story. Just as the pandemic fallout will continue for decades, it is not different for the people of Bhopal.

(The ruins of the plant: goodmenproject.com/environment-2/the-bhopal-disaster-of-1984/)

Today, approximately 500,000 people still bear the consequences of the Bhopal tragedy. Recent research (2021–2023) shows that many people have developed blindness in the years since the disaster. Cancer is ubiquitous among the survivors and their offspring. Epidemiological research shows up to four times more miscarriages and children with brain abnormalities. Infertility is very common nowadays. In short, this story is not over for the people of Bhopal to this day.

Watch the series, get acquainted with Indian cinema (the often bizarre dialogues that also in the real world lead to complete confusion), and get a beautiful story on top of it!

The Railway Men, on Netflix!

Warm greetings from India!

Sam