In the last year and a half, Greenpeace India has seen it all. Numerous court scenes, dramatic offloading incidents at the airport, corporate and government villains and ‘anti-national’ heroes saving the day! Our continued existence has been no less dramatic than the best of Bollywood, with twists and turns every day.
So we have decided to take our love for Indian cinema and use it to highlight the clampdown on free speech and the shrinking space for dissent. Greenpeace staff and volunteers have recreated posters of some iconic Bollywood films and develop alternate storylines for them.
Take a look at them here and then we'd like you to be a part of this!
The cancelling of our FCRA registration, a day before our scheduled hearing at the Delhi High Court is just the latest move by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to crackdown on our right and work to protect India’s environment! They want to stop us campaigning for clean air, water, renewable energy and to protect India’s forests.
However, our story is far from unique. Similar clampdowns have been seen all across the country. "I joined Greenpeace because I want to be a part of something that’s truly trying to change the world. I believe in standing up for what is right and so do other Indians! Sadly, these voices are being forced to be silent; the light of activism and dissent in India is slowly dimming. We need to continue standing for our rights and raise our voice for what we believe in!", says my friend Sajan, a Greenpeace activist who was a part of the Swades poster.
Greenpeace, along with many other organisations, has been on the receiving end of the MHA's ire. Our accounts have been frozen, our reputation smeared and staff banned from travel both into and out of the country. Government agencies have done everything they could to shut down Greenpeace offices and harass our staff. However, we remain stronger than ever!
"Life is a game of ups and downs. Our pace has been dampened but we are still here and continuing our work to ensure clean energy, food, air and water for all Indians. Riding on the goodwill of our supporters, our spirits are still high!" says Sumedha, a fundraiser who works downstairs from me stars in our version of the cult classic Andaz Apna Apna!
Banning things may have become the norm in India but thankfully, the online space allows relative freedom to be creative and express opinions. Cutting access to our foreign funding may be another attempt to get us to cease our work, but our amazing network of volunteers and supporters have helped us continue our work despite the government crackdown.
"It’s ridiculous to see the MHA trying every pressure tactic they can get away with. I’ve been working for the environment for the past 20 years, and I am going to continue for as long as I can", says Nirmala Karunan, Political Advisor for Greenpeace India, and who has been working here longer than anyone!
The plot against Greenpeace has been thickening steadily over the last few months, under the direction of the MHA. However, despite their many efforts, and in good Bollywood tradition, the good guys live to fight another day! We are fighting a good fight and because we are right. Our campaigns for a more sustainable future will continue undeterred because as Shah Rukh Khan has famously said, 'picture abhi baaki hai'.
So please visit our Bollywood competition pages, and use your skills, creativity and friends to
create your own poster and the next episode in the story!
Navdha works as a Digital Campaigner with Greenpeace India.