Write a Letter

Pappu ko kisne maara?

Hi, I am Pappu, the highly-endangered Olive Ridley Turtle.

Once a year, guided only by starlight and a highly-evolved, in-built navigation system, thousands of us swim thousands of miles, from places as far away as Australia and the Philippines, to arrive on India's East Coast.

We turn up on the precise beach on which we were born, the same beach each time. We make love, lay eggs, and go back home. A few weeks later, our newborn babies break out of their little eggshells, and follow us into the sea.

When they grow up and it's time for them to have a family of their own, they know exactly where to come back. You'll never get it.

You could say that the white sands of Gahirmatha, Orissa, is one of my last honeymoon suite's and maternity ward's. But it might not remain one forever.

Coastal development in Orissa (such as a commercial port) could turn all this into a killing field. It could be my end, and the end of all other flora and fauna that exist in the vicinity.

While illegal trawling definitely plays a large role in the unnecessary death of turtles like me, a commercial port in the same area can cause destruction of an unimaginable scale and magnitude.

Yes, I might be under threat, but some believe this threat can be stopped.

Greenpeace has been campaigning to save Olive Ridley Turtles like me for many years. To join their campaign, you can sign the letter on the right.

I thank you on behalf of my family, friends and future generations,

Pappu
Ridley-in-Residence

Only two people can stop the port:
You and Ratan Tata

Your Name* Your Email* Subject* Message (feel free to write your own letter)

Dear Mr.Tata,

The Tata name is today omnipresent in India, through a choice of affordable products and has today grown from a national giant into an international financial player.  At the same time, you insist that the TATA group has a firm commitment to environmental justice and sustainable development. I am writing to ask you to demonstrate that the TATA Group does indeed have such a commitment and it does not put profits above environmental and social well being.

I am disappointed with the way Tata Steel has conducted itself on the Dhamra port issue in Orissa. There has for some time been clear proof of the irreversible effects that this huge port will have on the highly-endangered endangered Olive Ridley turtles. What is even more distressing to me is that you had clearly promised to abandon the port if evidence of turtle presence was ever unearthed, yet this promise is now not being kept. Not just that, despite the simple fact that ports can be shifted while turtle nesting grounds can not, Tata Steel continues to build the Dhamra port.

I have been a follower of the Tata story and role you are looking to play in shaping modern India. Surely a decision to protect the Dhamra area and shift your port to an alternative environmentally-benign site will be more in keeping with the image that the Tatas project, and the legacy left by men such as JRD Tata, than the current position you have adopted?

I earnestly urge you to look at alternative locations for the Dhamra port. Such a decision will raise the Tata standing in my eyes and, I am sure, in the eyes of millions of Indians, not to mention an increasing global audience.

Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation that uses non-violent creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems to force solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. We promote open, informed debate about society's environmental choices. We use research, lobbying, and quiet diplomacy to pursue our goals, as well as high-profile, peaceful protest to raise the level and quality of public debate. And we believe that the struggle to preserve the future of our planet is not about us. It's about you.

Pappu ko kisne maara?

Only two people can stop the port: You and Ratan Tata

Only two people can stop the port:
You and Ratan Tata