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Introduction
Diwali is intended to be celebrated to mark the victory of righteousness over immorality, brilliance over gloominess, and intellect over benighted Ness. However, due to our mindless actions, inconsiderate behaviours and wrong priorities the evil, the dark the ignorance are winning and the good, the light and the wisdom are losing.
Situation at Present
Diwali and Vijay Dashami are not only noisy on the day they are celebrated but much before that. Indoor and outdoor pollution goes up during pre-Diwali time.
Noise levels shoot up because of doors that bind, stick, or scrape floors, dishwashers that clatter plates, drawers that creek, blenders that screech, hair dryers that whizz or washing machines that buzz. Fans that rattle, brakes that scrape, and grass movers that shudder add to that noise pollution.
Indoor air pollution is due to houses being coated with lead-based or/and volatile organic compounds-rich paints and polishes.
Both leave behind colonies littered with burnt papers, bits of plastics and other leftovers of crackers, excessive garbage in the houses, burnt patches of grass, lost/disappeared colony dogs, a decreased number of birds and God forbid unwell children or elderly of the family.
Outdoor pollution goes up due to excessive shopping, and increased traffic thus increasing carbon emissions. Diwali has become synonymous with congested roads, bottlenecks, sudden slamming of brakes causing several other cars behind it to pile up or stop, incessant honking, road rage, crashes, accidents and traffic jams, missed appointments and longer trip time for emergency vehicles.
Diwali Ailments
On Diwali evening the high levels of noise accompanied by smoke and dust from fire-crackers, leads to eye ailments, headaches, respiratory, skin and nervous problems in humans.
Firecrackers are dangerous to all animals. They affect them both physically and psychologically. Housepets quiver, bolt in panic, and retreat beneath the bed to escape the explosions. The street animals are worse off. They become fearful, stressed and panic. The maximum they can do is hide under the cars or in some corners but quite a few get traumatized and start drooling and whining and many get injured and lost. Many of our members circulate photographs of the disappeared stray dogs they feed and care for.
I recall free-ranging monkeys of Tughlaqabad going haywire on Diwali evenings. Mothers with clinging infants hide in the tomb or fort. The leader leads the group to the interior of their core area where they huddle in fear while humans celebrate.
New Beginnings
Diwali is the time to mark new beginnings. Let the new beginning be noisy to quitter, polluted to clean, self-gratification to compassionate Diwali.
When preparing homes for the ‘agman’ of Laxmi use only eco-friendly paints as they are without lead base and volatile organic compounds. They are non-toxic, have fewer chemical elements and are made of naturally derived raw materials. While deep cleaning opt for natural cleaners for pots, drains and floors.
Travel in electrical taxis and carpools but if you have to drive your own vehicle drive a smaller car, drive smoothly within the prescribed speed limits and keep your tyres fully inflated leading to a 5% reduction in fuel consumption.
Take your own bag to the market so that you can refuse plastic bags. Buy gifts made of recycled products because they require 64% less energy and cause 79% less air pollution during their making. Better still
gift items you have made yourself like cloth wipes from used cotton clothes. Gift plants and if for some reason you have to gift cut flowers they must only be wrapped in broad leaves and tied with cotton string instead of layers of paper and plastics.
In addition to Diwali Mela organise a tree day and dog day in your locality. DE- chock and de-nail the trees, nurture injured trees and release ladybugs to control pests. Setup bird feeders and waterers,
On Colony Dogs Day adopt individually or collectively stray dogs to change their status to colony dogs. Make dog houses. Select householders who would let the colony dogs stay inside their homes till noise levels become safe.
Last Words
During Diwali month special programs are organized by many resident welfare organizations but I cannot recall if ever there are programs about the trees, the greenery, the animals or the birds of the locality. Rather all other life forms suffer because the way we humans celebrate Diwali.
Let this Diwali be clean, quiet, and compassionate. Make your home look alluring both during the day and night.
Let your nurturing extend to the common areas of the colony. Make Rangolis, light clay or terracotta diyas and if your colony is getting grey water for greenery get fountains put in colony parks. Make your colonies look like Sita’s abode.
These pieces are being published as they have been received – they have not been edited/fact-checked by ThePrint