O N Koul
India is the land of different cultures, traditions, faiths and festivals. The festival of Diwali is the biggest festival of Hindus and is celebrated throughout the length and breadth of the country. The festival of Diwali is celebrated every year with great pomp and show. Diwali is the festival of lights as on the eve of Diwali the houses and shops are decorated with different lights which are lit on the evening during this big festival. It is observed incessantly for five days that kicks off in late Ashwin and concludes in the early Kartika month according to Lunisolar Hindu calendar. It is believed that on this day Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya from the fourteen years of exile after his victory over Ravana. The festival symbolizes the victory of good over evil, triumph of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. Thus the festival is celebrated to make merry in honour of the Lord Rama’s return. For celebrating Diwali the Hindus clean and paint their houses as they believe that on this day Goddess Laxmi visits their house and gives blessings to the inmates. The business community performs Laxmi puja on the evening of the festival of diwali. Along with the puja of goddesses Laxmi, the special puja of Lord Ganesh is also performed on this day. So Diwali is also celebrated to please goddesses Laxmi. The festival of diwali is also celebrated by Jains as this festival carries the essence of spiritual upliftment because it marks the achievement of Nirwana or Moksha by Mahaveera, the last Tirthankara. Dewali has become a national festival as it is also celebrated by the non Hindus as well. This festival gives boost to the communal harmony and brotherhood as it is celebrated by people belonging to different faiths living in the country. The festival of Diwali is celebrated by the Sikh community also as on this day the foundation stone of golden temple was laid in the year 1577.The festival of Diwali is celebrated not only in India but in various countries across the globe especially Indonesia, Fiji, Mauritius, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Canada and many more countries. This auspicious festival brings good luck, happiness and prosperity to all. The lighted clay diyas on this day not only illuminate the environment but also shack the darkness of poverty and ignorance. But the bursting of fire crackers on a large scale pollutes the environment which is a great health hazard. The noise pollution and air pollution which results from the bursting of the fire crackers has become a common experience. The people feel difficulty in breathing and particularly the people having breathing problem are put to great risk because of the air pollution. Thus the need of the hour is to celebrate the pollution free Diwali or what is called the green Diwali. There is no harm in the celebration of Diwali in traditional way by lighting diyas which cause no pollution at all and thus this should be encouraged for observing the green Diwali. The hundreds of crores of rupees are expended in the bursting of the fireworks and crackers and all this creates many health problems to the people and this should be discouraged. The crackers contain toxic compounds like copper and cadmium and due to change in weather these particles mix with fog and becomes smog causing asthma attacks, bronchitis, symptoms of allergic rhinitis including running nose and headache. Smog worsens the situation by suspending the toxic particles in the air for longer time. It is high time that we should recognize the problem and should build a road way by which we can make a healthy and balanced environment. After the Supreme Court order there has been a ban on many kinds of fire crackers but still the quantum of crackers burnt and the pollution created is huge. On the other hand to counter the problem of maintaining the livelihood of those depending on the cracker Industry, certified brands with green crackers were launched in the market. As the country is suffering from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which is a respiratory disease, a lot of states in the country have banned the use of fire crackers, urging the citizens to celebrate the green Diwali. Green Diwali is a way of celebrating the festival of lights with minimum damage to the environment. The idea is simple that we have to save the environment and mother earth, which provides us natural resources. Celebrating Diwali in such a manner so that it may not cause harm to the environment is the essence of eco friendly Diwali. On the occasion of Diwali, rangolies with organic colours should be made to make our houses look beautiful and fantastic. Now the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research labs has been successful in developing various environment friendly fire works such as sound emitting crackers, flower pots, pencils, chakkar and sparklers’ and these are available in the market for the use of the consumers. People should make use of these eco friendly fire works which cause minimum or no pollution at all. Various initiatives of anti fire crackers campaign have been taken by the government as a part of initiative to discourage the use of fire crackers on the occasion of Diwali. Schools are advised to sensitize children and staff about the harmful effects of the firecrackers so that they use safer alternatives to celebrate the festival. Rallies are organized to sensitize the public about the ill effects of the fire crackers. All the campaigns to discourage the use of the fire crackers should not result in diminishing the fervor and the pomp and show on diwali. Thus Diwali should be celebrated with great enthusiasm and merry making and the festivity of day should not be affected by the anti fire cracker campaigns. People should use the eco friendly fire crackers and earthen diyas to minimize the effects of the pollution. All said and done the youth and children should be encouraged to use the eco friendly fire crackers so that the festivity of this auspicious day is not belittled in any manner. The houses and shops are decorated with lights of different colours and much electricity is wasted in this way and it is advised that the people should use led and solar lights to minimize the waste of the electricity and save the national loss. Let us resolve to celebrate the festival of Diwali with great enthusiasm and traditional manner and not turn this festival of lights into festival of doom but celebrate the festival in eco friendly manner so that the importance of the festival is not affected in any manner and there is no loss of precious lives.
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