Friday, August 7, 2015

Chennai born rapper has taken the internet by storm. But why?




Kodaikanal was the site of an infamous dump discovered in 2001 when Unilever’s Indian subsidiary Hindustan Lever was found to be dumping toxic mercury waste from its thermometer factory.
Soon after unearthing the waste material and subsequent protests that followed, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board issued an order to the company to send back the toxic materials to the United States to be disposed of and recycled.
However, mercury being an element whose effect on health can be manifested even decades after exposure, the 2001 incident has far reaching implications. According to reports, just one gram of mercury deposited annually in a lake can, in the long term, contaminate a lake spread over 25 acres to the extent that fish from the lake are rendered unfit for human consumption. Till date, many workers have lost their jobs, while others continue to suffer from its ill-effects. Protests regarding compensation continue, but no substantial victory has been gained yet.
The outrage and coupled with lackadaisical attitude of the company and justice system led Chennai born rapper, Sophia Ashraf to compose a song regarding Unilever’s inaction with respect to the entire fiasco. The song is set to artist Nicki Minaj’s ‘Anaconda’ and has caught the internet by storm.

First published on http://www.thealternative.in/society/chennai-born-rapper-taken-internet-storm/ The Alternative (www.thealternative.in), an online platform for sustainability and social impact.