Beyond Carlton’s tribute, 10 years after devastating fire tragedy

To mark the 10th year of the Carlton Towers fire tragedy in the city that claimed nine lives on February 23, 2010, the citizens-led fire-safety initiative Beyond Carlton paid a moving tribute to the victims at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) here on Saturday.

Moulding memories with music and creative expressions, the tribute had an opening video about the nine people who lost their lives. This was followed by a musical rendition by composer and filmmaker Dr Prakash Sontakke, who played 'Remembrance' on the slide guitar and Theramin.

A presentation by senior photographer Anantha Subramanyam captured images of a city careless about its safety. Titled 'Safety or the lack of it,' Anantha showed how the general public did not take safety issues seriously, whether on roads, railway tracks, workplaces or residences.

A conversation with professional firefighter Sumit Khanna on 'Keeping away another Carlton' had the expert share tips on fire safety measures, on saving oneself and others till the rescue team arrives at the scene of the accident.

As part of the 10th-year anniversary, Beyond Carlton had organised a series of events in February. These included a creative competition for schoolchildren and the launch of a social media campaign #iamafirechamp to create awareness on how one can be a fire champion and make a valuable contribution to the community by preventing fire accidents.

Beyond Carlton also submitted a memorandum to the state government to set up burn wards in all government hospitals across Karnataka.

Founded by Uday Vijayan a month after the death of his young son and eight others in the tragedy, Beyond Carlton had spearheaded a sustained campaign for a fire-safe Bengaluru. Its PIL in the High Court of Karnataka forced the government to amend fire safety laws to make them more stringent for highrises.