Hai! I am Endosulfan!

Hai! I am Endosulfan! I am sure that recently you are hearing a lot about getting rid of me. Well, to be honest, I am not worried. This has been going on since a very long time. As long as there are politicians, I am safe. So why do you hear so much about me these days, anyways? Let us start from the very beginning.

Who am I?

Simply put I am a pesticide. I am extremely effective and every cheap. That is one of the reasons that people do not want to get rid of me. My substitutes will cost a farmer 10 times my price. So in turn, your vegetables will get costlier and so on. I am a very persistent chemical and do not leave the environment very fast. I can also travel through air – I have been known to cross the Atlantic Ocean at times.

My effects on your health!

You people are such weaklings. To you, I am one of the most toxic pesticide active in the market today. My acute poisoning symptoms include hyperactivity, tremors, convulsions, lack of coordination, staggering, difficulty breathing, nausea and vomiting, rashes, diarrhea, and in severe cases, unconsciousness. And this is not just to you humans; I can do this to almost all insects and other animals too. Ain’t I cool? And, my best feature – I have a special ability to mess up your reproductive system. Oh yeah! And that too right from your birth. Actually the companies that produce me will not let you read much of the research about my effects. Psst! I might even be a carcinogen – I mean, I can even cause cancer. You can never learn my full potential. Hehe!!!

The Ban!

Arrgh!!! This is so frustrating for me. You know that it is not possible to completely ban me, right? I mean, Kerala and Karnataka banned my use long ago. But no use. I just creep in from your neighboring states and mess with you. Haha!!! The Stockholm Convention tried to help. But last year, out of 62 countries, India alone was against its ban and has not done so yet. At present 74 countries have effectively banned my use in any form or name. But not in India. No!

My role in India!

India the world's largest user of endosulfan, and a major producer with three companies – Excel Crop Care, H.I.L., and Coromandal Fertilizers – producing 4,500 tonnes annually for domestic use and another 4,000 tonnes for export. These companies will never ever let you ban my production and sale, or they will go bankrupt. So you can drop all hopes of making this a success by spreading awareness online or through hartals! I checked online – there is only one website working towards my ban (http://www.endosulfan.in/) and that website has been “liked” 142 times. Haha! You upload a video of a cute puppy, and you will get more likes. You people are so silly. They also have a Facebook Page and that has 1366 followers. And Sachin Tendulkar has a million followers. For a country obsessed with copying the west in terms of lifestyle, movies, and what not, you people are particularly dumb about your own health. And as long as you people are controlled by your politicians than the other way round, I am safe.

My pledge!

I, Endosulfan, hereby declare that, I will continue to silently kill each one of you. And also make sure that I will create health problems for you and the generations to come. I will, to the best of my abilities, try to give you more and more problems that my control will finally be out of your hands. I also pledge alliance to all corrupt politicians, money-hungry corporates, and dumb citizens for the rest of your life – which will be short and painful.

Jai Hind