The Revitalist

“If you take our mountain, we’ll take your cathedral,” is the message put forth by a global anti-poverty organization, ActionAid. Recently, the organization requested the demolition of the famous Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London in response to a UK mining company’s plan to extract bauxite from a sacred mountain in India: the Niyamgiri mountain, believed by the Kondh tribe to be the home of their god, Niyam Raja.

Plans by the UK company, Vedanta Resources PLC, would not only desecrate the sacred mountain but also cause ruin to the home of 8,000 members of the Kondh tribe. Though Vedanta claims to have high environmental standards, their mining plans would cause contamination of the water supply and ultimately lead to the loss of forests and agriculture.

Perhaps the most poignant argument is made by the following comparison as stated by Brendan O’Donnell, a campaigner:  "Just as Londoners wouldn't tolerate the demolition of their cathedral to make a quick buck, so the Kondh people won't allow their treasured mountain and forests to be destroyed.”

 
Considered within London vernacular, it appears invasive and criminal to mine in the Niyamgiri mountain simply to wrap chocolate and contain drinks. Saint Paul’s Cathedral is not India’s domain, and Niyamgiri is certainly not Vedanta’s mountain.