MUMBAI, India — “Ratan Tata, Kya Hua Tera Vaada?” was the line that thousands of Mumbai’s citizens have been reading aloud, with smiles on their faces, over the last few days. The Tata’s response to the Greenpeace-commissioned rapid biodiversity assessment of the Dhamra port site has been to continue mouthing platitudes while sidestepping the real issues raised. So Greenpeace is taking the message to the public and getting them to ask Tata’s to live up to their clean image.
Greenpeace activists and turtles urge Tata employees to ask Ratan Tata to keep his word and withdraw from the Dhamra port project.
Our postcard has a particularly grumpy looking turtle, mouthing
the now famous catch line. Over the last four days, the 'ninja
turtles' have been distributing the cards outside Tata offices in
different parts of the city, as well as to ordinary Mumbaikars.
Wherever they have gone, the turtles, seeking support in the
campaign to save their home, have drawn attention, even been mobbed
by excited children shouting "ninjas, ninjas".
The postcards were distributed to people inside and around
office premises, mostly corporate honcho types with ties and
starched shirts. The initial reaction has usually been a smile and
a chuckle, many broke into the song after reading the slogan; some
even took bunches to distribute among their colleagues. The
inevitable has happened everywhere… sooner or later, the turtles
have been shooed out of the compound. But since they will soon have
no home to go back to, the turtles haven't gone far, only taking up
position at the nearest entrance! Their persistence has been
rewarded with some office goers even calling up Bombay House on the
spot and lambasting the Tata's for behaving in such an
environmentally destructive manner!
The traffic continued to pass by with people craning their necks
to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous turtles and reading out the
Ratan Tata line amidst chuckles.
Day two, TCS office, Andheri East. A perfect location with two
office complexes facing each other and a constant flow of Tata
employees to and fro. A nearby well-frequented chai shop turned
into an onlookers gallery. What better topic of conversation over
tea than bitching about your employer's bad conduct!
There were the scared ones who read the leaflet and gave it back
saying "I can't take it inside because it wont look good!" Then
there were the ones who read it and laughed and some even posed
with the turtles for a picture. Despite bullying tactics, the
turtles stood their ground, doing their bit to reclaim public
space. They were attracting attention from inside the building too,
with groups huddled around the office windows to catch a glimpse of
events. Another irked employee started yelling, commanding us to
get away from their property and not 'block the entrance'. A bit
difficult for three thin people, especially when the gate is thirty
feet wide!
Day 3: Five Gardens and Parsi colony at Dadar. A sleepy lazy
evening at Five Gardens was jolted awake as the turtle walked into
the park. The couples didn't mind the intrusion and read the
leaflets, a few asking questions. Others posed with the turtles,
and some even took out their camera phones to capture our home
grown celebrities.
Excited children soon surrounded the turtle and a group of boys
even forgot their football game. Polite knocks on the doors of the
Parsi colony elicited varied responses, including one expression of
concern from a housewife, who asked the 'turtle' if he wasn't
feeling very hot and uncomfortable inside the costume! The reply?
"Not as bad as I will be feeling if Tata's builds that port!"
Another gentleman wanted to help but also warned us against the
inevitable tide of industrialization sweeping over India. However,
some things are worth more than money and profits, like the sight
of a lakhs of turtles coming ashore to nest… We need to make sure
that Ratan Tata gets that message too! Write to him at 
and call 6665
8282 to ask the Tatas to save the turtles.