Don't have a blast this Diwali

This Diwali I am going to stick to lighting diyas and fairy lights. After all, according to the scriptures, Diwali is the festival of light when good triumphs over evil, Goddess Lakshmi descends to earth and blesses every dwelling and commercial establishment with prosperity, and knowledge triumphs over ignorance.

The firecrackers were a much later addition and I suspect an import from China that is actually known for its firecrackers (history has it that the first fireworks were invented in China in the seventh century).

According to the Hindu scriptures, more importance is given to Dhanteras when the house is renovated and decorated with rangoli, lamps are lit, flower garlands festoon the archways, and sweets and savouries are distributed. Diwali culminates with Lakshmi Puja which is actually a very pious ritual and the firecrackers are just lit as a token to scare off any evil spirits that may be lurking around dark corners.

Sobriety

This is not a tirade of a girl who got her fingers burnt on Diwali or of someone who just wants to put a damper on the festival of lights, the most auspicious time of the year. I write these words because I believe it’s high time we cut back on the crackers and fireworks; after all, a festival can be made meaningful in many ways and bursting crackers is not the only one of them — not in my book, at least.

I have two reasons for this, the first is environmental and the second is also environmental! First, my aversion to crackers stems not just from the loud noises they emit but the increasing amounts of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen fumes that are released by the indiscriminate bursting of crackers.

Second, I believe it is time for a bit of sobriety, given the situation in Kashmir, Visakhapatnam and Odisha that were hit by floods and cyclones respectively. Besides ascribing catchy names and headlines to these life-altering events, it is time for us to reflect on what we are doing to our planet and what kind of impact it is having on our people.

Recent surveys made me recoil and I stopped myself from lighting another fuljari or an anaar this Diwali. According to a survey conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Delhi is the most polluted city in the world. The National Capital has the highest concentration of PM 2.5 — particulate matters less than 2.5 microns — a form of air pollution which is considered most serious.

During winters the air becomes dense and foggy and these tiny particles get trapped in the atmosphere. Add to that the toxins released by the sulphurous firecrackers and you have a perfect recipe for asphyxiation and long-term damage to the lungs and prolonged infections in the bronchial system.

If this sounds like mad medical jargon, just check your tissue when you sneeze this winter and you will be shocked at the findings. What is worse is that the imported crackers, which are more colourful and dazzling, do not even have labels declaring their chemical composition.

Pollution

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee had tested firecracker samples recently and found most of them to be flouting the Explosives Rules 2008, as their manufacturers did not mention the chemical composition on the packages. Shock and horror, since we always expect imported brands to be more responsible than our home-grown variety. The truth is that the coloured crackers require the use of heavy metals and those are far more harmful than just the sulphur-based sparklers and wheels that we grew up with as kids.

Nostalgia

At the risk of sounding nostalgic, I want to recall the times when Diwali was more about goodwill and less about showing off. Our family always insisted on a simple puja that was egalitarian and inclusive, besides emphasising on giving and sharing. These days I hear of locality boys blowing up their parents’ hard-earned money on thousands of rupees worth of firecrackers that just go up in smoke and create more pollution and noise in their wake. It is worth the risk of being unpopular with our boys and men, and it is time to send out a message of being more responsible about our environment. Write a cheque for the victims in Kashmir or Odisha instead of blowing it up on crackers that is what I am telling my nieces and nephews this year.