- This beautiful memorial to the dead of Bhopal stands outside the Union Carbide factory. It was made by Dutch sculptress Ruth Waterman.
CHINGARI AWARD FOR WOMEN AGAINST CORPORATE CRIMES
Download the nomination form here.
The Chingari Award Jury
Starting in 2007, the Chingari Award for Women Against Corporate Crimes will be given annually to a woman activist who has taken up the cause of a community fighting corporate criminal activity in India. We invite you to nominate deserving candidates for the first ever Chingari Award.
Who would you like to nominate?
The Trust has chosen to give the Award to an individual rather than an organisation, however the nominees must come from grassroots peoples' movements.
The Award will consist of a citation, a trophy which will be a replica of the statue in front of the Union Carbide/Dow Chemical factory in Bhopal (picture at right) along with a prize fellowship of 50,000 Indian rupees. It will shine a bright light onto the struggles of women who have pitted themselves against corporate crimes and whose lives have until now been unsung and unnoticed.
Non-political and non-sectarian, it will stress the need for corporate accountability, even as it reminds us that we cannot afford more Bhopals in the name of development. Above all, it will salute the dedication, invincibility and tenacity of women who have refused to give up hope.
Background to the Chingari Award
What makes this award unique is that it has been instituted by two members of the all-women survivor group Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationary Karamchari Sangh, Rashida Bee and Champadevi Shukla, from the prize money they were awarded with the Goldman Environment Prize, 2004.
Despite the fact that both gas-affected women are sole bread earners of their families and face severe health problems, they chose to give away the entire sum of money to set up the Chingari Trust. The Award is one of the activities that the Trust has instituted, along with a livelihood project for women survivors of the disaster and subsequent chemical contamination, and a health care programme for children born with congenital defects to gas-affected parents.
How to nominate candidates for the 2007 Award
Please keep the following criteria in mind when nominating candidates for the Award:
The Award will be made to:
- a woman campaigning against corporate crimes and/or government crimes
- a woman taking up the struggle in a remote part of the country, especially from rural India
- a woman who has waged a sustained struggle of at least 5 years' duration
- a woman, who along with others, has brought about changes in a company’s behaviour or in the lives of a community by campaigning in a democratic manner
- a woman who is well-respected and supported by her community/collective
- a woman who has conducted her work at great personal risk and hardship
- a woman whose current work would be significantly impacted by receiving the Award
- a woman who is not affiliated or associated with any political parties, and whose work is non-sectarian and secular
- a woman who could be a significant inspiration to others around the country
A jury of eminent women will select the winner each year, by first shortlisting three candidates from among all those nominated, then visiting these three women and their work.
Please fill in and return the nomination forms no later than May 15th 2007 to:
By email:
By post:
Chingari Trust,
44 Sant Kanwar Ram Nagar
Berasia Road
Bhopal 462018
Madhya Pradesh
India
Phone: +91 (0)755 274 7500
FILLING IN THE FORM CORRECTLY
Please fill in the form completely in either English or Hindi.
Non English- and Hindi-speakers ought to obtain help in translating their submissions, as we do not have the resources to do it. We would, however, appreciate receiving such nominations in the original language as well as in translation.
Only the three shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Chingari Trust. No correspondence about the Award will be entered into and the decision of the judges is final.
