A student from the University of California, Santa Barbara came to stay at my guest house for a month. She was pursuing a PhD in Sociology and was interested in topics like globalization and water privatization in India. She was the first person I met who mentioned that Coca-Cola was a controversial company in India. While I knew there was a Coke plant in Varanasi, I was unaware of the disputes surrounding it. She wanted to meet Mr. Nandlal Master, who was leading a movement against Coca-Cola in Varanasi. We arranged an appointment with him.

Since Mr. Nandlal does not speak English, Krista asked me to act as her translator. So, Lane, Krista, and I traveled together to Mehndiganj, where Mr. Nandlal lives and the Coca-Cola plant is located. Nandlal Master had given me directions to his place, but they were quite complicated. After reaching Rajatalab, which is about 3 kilometers from Mehndiganj, we asked several locals about Nandlal Master, and most of them knew him and his location. Unfortunately, we mistakenly ended up at the Coca-Cola plant.

Thinking it would be helpful, I asked the security guard there for directions to Nandlal Master’s place, which in retrospect was a major mistake. The guard became visibly angry upon hearing Nandlal Master’s name and rudely told me to ask somewhere else. Eventually, a few locals pointed us in the right direction, and we arrived at Lok Samiti’s office, where Nandlal Master resides. During our meeting, Nandlal Master described the movement against Coca-Cola, which seemed to be a significant issue.

He detailed numerous disputes involving Coca-Cola in Varanasi that I had never heard of before. According to him, the controversies included violations of hazardous waste regulations, conflicts with the community, water theft, revenue theft, low wages for employees, and land disputes with local committees. I was shocked to learn that these issues had been ongoing in my city for the past five years without my knowledge. When I asked Nandlal Master why the issue was not more widely known, he explained that Coca-Cola buys advertising from the media, which discourages them from covering the controversy.

Krista wanted to interview locals about their water problems, so right after our meeting with Nandlal Master, we began conducting interviews. Krista was the most dedicated person I had ever met. Despite the oppressive heat—around 45 degrees Celsius—she remained unfazed and determined to meet as many people as possible. We often interviewed people in their fields, homes, or on the street, directly under the scorching sun.

Over the course of 25 days, we interviewed more than 40 people, including some government officials such as Pollution Control Board officers, Ground Water Authority officers, and the District Magistrate of Varanasi. Krista also wanted to interview Coca-Cola officials but was never able to locate any. Despite our efforts, we had no success in finding them. Now, I need to transcribe all the audio recordings from the interviews conducted in Mehndiganj.