Saturday, July 07, 2007

Veggie Suicides...

Recently I received a newsletter from Greenpeace India. Among various activities of Greenpeace, one demonstration by its India chapter attracted my immediate attention. The demonstration or protest was prompted by the recent decision of government to approve large scale open air field trials for Genetically Modified food crops, which could include tomatoes, potatoes, corn, brinjals, etc. The show went like this. A host of vegetables were seen hanging from a thread in Bangalore, as they had committed mass suicide in protest of this decision. A suicide note beside one of the dead potatoes said that potato wished to die in honourable manner rather than living as half potato and half scorpion.

The report said that this was followed by a funeral, where dead body of a martyr corn was taken by fellow vegetables on MG Road.

"The imminent approval of the field trials would mean that our food is one step closer to being dangerously unsafe. The health of citizens and the environment of this country is at risk" said Divya Raghunandan, GE campaigner from Greenpeace. (This paragraph has been taken verbatim from the Greenpeace report)

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