With diwali just around the corner just as my exams.
I have been in a good mood with the festive activities all over, the ceremonial cleaning, the decoration, the rangoli, diyas, the lights etc and yes sadly the crackers too.
I have always had a problem with crackers being a part of Diwali, or any festival for that matter. but wat can i say it has become part of tradition to burst crackers and create a lot of light with all the noise which is free with it.
Bursting crackers as a festive activity has been a Chinese tradition, Diwali had always been a festival for meeting and greeting each other and lighting diyas and living life in all the festive splendor that India can offer. New clothes, pujas, sweets, the eternal river of love flowing throughout the country had always been the highlight of diwali but then came the new tradition Bursting crackers, that pushed the stop or more optimistically said the pause button on all the other traditional activities that used to happen.
The elderly in the house still believe that the traditional puja and other ites have to performed with all the rules attached to them, so a hint of tradition may still be alive.
I have no hate for crackers, but the fact that it took away so many important activities which were a part of the festivities is the problem.
I still can remember that i had not done ne thing gr8 last diwali, as in meeting and greeting or crackers i didn't do all that cause the environment outside was not even fit to breath let alone meeting and spread the cheer and the main culprit the "Crackers".
Yes as i listen to the mayhem caused by these crackers while writing this blog i feel the Festivities being burnt up along with those crackers but then i always thought that children would think its cool or facinating to light up some crackers but they are too young to understand the implications of their fun.
The day of Diwali in Bombay(its the only city i've been for Diwali) i think would be the equivalent to a highly polluting factory's chimney. It is difficult to breath, see and most importantly hear in this atmosphere. It leads to largescale pollution and environmental degradation, you may say its one day but how about causing 4 carbon credits worth of pollution in that one day?( 4 million tonnes of CO2 gas ) that sounds like a lot.
Kids can't understand these finer points but teenagers, adults and parents can so why do i see so many adults lighting up crackers?
I have religiously not lit up a single cracker for the last 4 years and told people about my reason for the same; people have often told me " what can you alone do to prevent the pollution?" but why can't I if i can stop 2 friends from lighting up crackers a year and so on we'll atleast control this menace.
I have a friend who's younger brother aged 10 years said he would buy Clothes and Books rather than buying crackers, which is a very matured thought at his age . So that takes my tally upto 3 people in the last 4 years but it includes a 10 year old so i think i am doing my bit to spread the real message of Diwali.
If you can still not digest or agree to my thoughts compare your activities with respect to crackers lit up:
1) People personally wished
2) Diyas Lit
3) Gifted a smile to an unknown person
4) Pooja or other religious activities performed
5) Candles or diyas ;it at religios places
calculate these as a ratio to the number of crackers lit and then conduct your own research.
I dont mean to spoil anybody's fun or offend any one but i think it is only correct to welcome Back Lord RAM from his Vanvaas with Diyas and a lot of Love rather than all the noise we make. I think even Lord Ram didn't want people to be inconvenienced on his homecoming not even his own disciples and we the eternal disciples of that same Higher power are not helping his cause as I can still imagine Lord RAM wincing in pain holding his ears caused by us to welcome him.
I dont expect an overnight change but the change will come willingly or forcefully but i think everyone will agree to this message partially or completely(plz tell me that).
Till then HAPPY DIWALI and spread the CHEER and not the NOISE
