For forty years, the solemn all-faith prayer meetings commemorating the victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy have resonated with a voice of unwavering constancy. That voice belongs to Santosh Tiwari, an 80-year-old former chief engineer of the water resources department. Since 1986, he has not merely attended but has anchored and guided these poignant gatherings, becoming their institutional memory and moral compass.
The Anchor of Solemnity: Guiding Decades of Remembrance
Santosh Tiwari's approach to the commemorations is defined by brevity and profound sincerity, a principle that has shaped the meetings for generations. "Three minutes, sometimes two-and-a-half," he explains, emphasizing the ethos of "minimum words, maximum meaning." This philosophy is also captured in his book, "Chhote Munh, Chhoti Baat," which chronicles 121 programs between 1976 and 2022. Yet, for Tiwari, the December 3 interfaith prayer meeting at Barkatullah Bhawan, remembering the victims of the world's worst industrial disaster, remains unmissable.
His dedication was such that even when posted in Raipur, then part of undivided Madhya Pradesh, he would secure special leave to attend. He consistently prioritized the all-faith meet at Barkatullah Bhawan, the chosen venue for years.
The Evolving Arc of Commemoration
Tiwari has witnessed the tradition and protocols of remembrance evolve firsthand. The meetings were traditionally led by the Governor of Madhya Pradesh, with Chief Ministers from Moti Vora to Shivraj Singh Chouhan in attendance. "The protocol was if the Governor spoke, then the CM did not and vice versa," he recalls. The location, too, has shifted over the decades. On the 10th anniversary in 1994, at the instance of the late Arif Aqueel, the gathering was held outside the abandoned Union Carbide factory. More recently, including once last year, the all-faith meeting took place at the BMHRC (Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre).
A Night That Forged a Lifelong Commitment
Hailing from Guna, Tiwari's connection to the tragedy was forged by duty. He recalls the fateful night of December 2, 1984, when he was in Bhopal. "I was at a colleague's home near Shivaji Nagar. In the morning, we carried food to JP Hospital, only to find victims pleading for water," he says. That harrowing moment crystallized the sheer gravity of the catastrophe and planted the seed for his lifelong commitment to ensuring the victims are never forgotten. For four decades, through his steady presence and guiding words, Santosh Tiwari has ensured that the collective memory of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy remains both dignified and powerful.
