London Law Researcher studies Coca-Cola in Mehdiganj

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I worked with a law researcher from the University of London as both an assistant and translator. He was interested in the legal aspects of the Coca-Cola issue. Having lived in India for over a year, he knew some Hindi, but not well enough to conduct interviews on his own. He is the president of an NGO called Glocality International, which has offices in London and New Delhi. I worked with him for three days in Varanasi.

Tyler was also involved in some high-profile international law cases. For instance, he and a colleague had sued seven Chinese ministers, including the President and Prime Minister, for the deaths of over a million people in Tibet. He explained that the case was registered in Spain because no other country was willing to accept a case against the Chinese government in their courts.

During our time together, we interviewed numerous villagers, Nandlal Master, and several government officials, including the Regional Pollution Control Officer, Ground Water Authority officials, and District Village Committee officers. Tyler was particularly impressed with how Nandlal and his team were leading their movement. Given that Tyler had only three days and wanted to maximize his interviews, we spent one night at Lok Samiti’s office to speak with Nandlal and his colleagues.

We encountered difficulties with the Regional Pollution Control Officer, who believed his English was sufficient to communicate with Tyler, despite Tyler’s advance notice that I would be assisting. The officer often misunderstood Tyler’s questions but remained overly confident in his responses, attempting to obscure the issues. Tyler was determined to gather as much information as possible.

The situation escalated when Tyler used a voice recorder without informing the officer, leading to a heated exchange. The officer, upon discovering the recording, became hostile and threatened us with police intervention. Tyler responded by stating that he would sue the Pollution Control Department in the Supreme Court of India for corruption related to the Coca-Cola issue. He warned that if the Supreme Court confirmed the corruption, the officers could face jail time, which only intensified the officer’s anger.

Eventually, we left the office, laughing about the tense encounter with the irate officer. It was quite amusing to see a PCS officer so angry but unable to act against us. In contrast, the District Village Committee Officer was very engaged and eager to discuss the Coca-Cola issue. He shared extensive information about the situation and the role of Village Committees, and he promised to provide all necessary documents and support. He was the first government official I had met who seemed genuinely interested in talking to people, possibly due to his interest in conversing with a foreigner.

Options for Studying Hindi in Varanasi

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Many foreign students come to India to learn Hindi, with most of them choosing either Mussoorie or Varanasi. They often say that there are only three reputable Hindi schools in India, and Varanasi and Mussoorie receive the most attention. One student from the University of Washington, Lane Rasberry, stayed at my guest house for five months. He came to Varanasi to learn Hindi at a school called Bhasha Bharti. Lane was also interested in outsourcing chemistry research to India and conducting his PhD research with an Indian scientist. He attended classes two hours a day, five days a week, paying Rs. 200-250 per hour, which was significantly more than what I used to pay to learn English.

Initially, Lane planned to study Hindi at Bhasha Bharti for the entire duration of his stay but decided to leave after two months due to various reasons. He then began practicing Hindi on his own in the Hindi-speaking environment of my home, with assistance from my family, especially my father. Although he was still searching for a Hindi teacher, he struggled to find a suitable one. I also attempted to find a teacher but was never satisfied with the individuals who claimed to be good Hindi teachers for foreigners.

We tried several teachers, but none were able to meet the expectations of either Lane or me. One of the teachers, who was quite self-absorbed, spent more time talking about himself than actually teaching Lane. Lane also approached my English teacher, who, upon learning that Lane paid Rs. 200 per hour to Bhasha Bharti, became very eager to attract him as a student. However, I felt it was better for Lane to continue with Bhasha Bharti if the fees were the same. I decided to stop visiting the English teacher to avoid the pressure of convincing Lane to switch.

By the time Lane left, his Hindi was sufficiently good for him to express his feelings. He could understand better than he could speak, and while I had no trouble understanding his Hindi, he still needed considerable practice. I wasn’t sure if he would be able to practice Hindi effectively once back in the US. Lane mentioned Skype as a potential tool to help him practice his Hindi, and I thought it was a great idea. I planned to continue communicating with him in Hindi through Skype to support his practice.

Meeting Lok Samiti to discuss the Coca-Cola issue

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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.