With great sadness, we must report the loss of a true friend. Ganga Ram was a well-loved man, one of the ‘elders’ of Oriya Busti, and an unofficial custodian of the Oria school, founded with funds from the Dominique Lapierre foundation.
Ganga and family, along with the other residents of Oriya were among the most badly affected by the gas disaster and their entire village was moved to a site a kilometre or so north-east of the factory.
Ganga, who overcame leprosy, is immortalised as one of the central characters in Dominique Lapierre’s novel ‘Five Past Midnight in Bhopal’ which tells the story of the disaster. Although the book is a work of fiction, many of the main characters are based on real individuals and the technical account of the disaster is extremely well researched; in fact, the book is often recommended as the entry point when learning about the disaster’s history.
Ganga remained fiercely proud of Oria, his wife and family, and of the tiny school which serves the community so well. He will be sorely missed.
