With the much awaited festive season of Diwali being celebrated with joy and excitement by every Indian, somewhere we notice the essence of Diwali being shifted. From a Festival of Light with diyas and lanterns all over the place, Diwali has now turned to become a festival of sound with loud crackers everywhere. Often we read reports on- Should Crackers be banned? Crackers are harmful to the environment, and so on…but there is more to Diwali and we at Bandra Buzz spoke to people from different backgrounds and got their insights on Diwali…
Harish, a worker at the firecracker shop at Link Road said, “This year the sales of firecrackers have been 20%, it is our first year and customers are coming in. The sale is not up to the mark but it is going on at a steady pace and we expect more during Diwali days. But crackers are selling and we have people coming constantly.”
Amar, a resident of Hill Road says, “Every year during Diwali, we give some donation and food to the poor kids at Carter Road through an NGO but this year the NGO didn’t respond. We are bursting fewer crackers this year. In the past years, during our time Diwali meant only crackers but nowadays with the whole eco friendly and pollution issue new laws have been coming in and we are abiding by it. Therefore, we are celebrating Diwali but with less crackers to avoid creation of pollution.”
Austin D’mello, senior citizen residing at Pali, says, “From a Festival of Light Diwali has now become a festival of Sound. People want to show their money and status by making louder sound than the rest. The one who makes more sound has more money and high stature in society. We need to rethink and ponder on the ideology of Diwali as its true meaning is lost. However, this year the crackers are less and pollution has reduced. People are aware of the increasing pollution and do not intend to harm the environment.” He always spends his Diwali out of Bombay to avoid the pollution but this year he has been in Mumbai and luckily the bursting of crackers is reduced. He says, “Firecrackers affect senior citizens the most and these seniors can’t do anything about it but silently bear the noise and sudden vibrations.”
Mr and Mrs Patel, regular visitors at Carter Road, claim, “Diwali, this year, has witnessed more of sweets and celebrations. The noise of crackers is there but it is less compared to previous years. On the first day of Diwali, there were less crackers and we hope in the coming days of Diwali too there will be less noise and more of happiness.”
Anika, mother of two, says, “Diwali is a time to cherish and strengthen bonds with family and friends and celebrate the joy of relationships together. Crackers are not the way to celebrate Diwali. My 4 year old kid never asks me for crackers as I have already told him about the ill effects. I have never bought crackers for him and he never even demands for it.”
Anisha Fernandes, an animal lover, exclaims, “Crackers should be banned. There is not one thing good about crackers. They are harmful for kids, senior citizens, and for the environment on the whole. Moreover, animals are affected the most and the poor creatures can’t do anything about it.” Anisha has 3 cats as pets and is fond of animals more than humans. She says, “Due to bursting of crackers my pets are petrified, they run helter skelter and behave weirdly.” If that is the case of pets in her house then how worse will be the state of dogs and cats on the streets? She firmly believes that Diwali is a festival of lights but we have made it a festival of sound and money. We are burning money just to show off our wealth. And we don’t bother or realise what we are doing!”
Rohit, a youth from Reclamation, says, “This year there are crackers but the number is gone down. May be people are a little concerned about the environment. But we need to demolish this practice of bursting crackers right from the roots itself; it is a menace to the society.”
Kimberly Periera, a studying youth from Pali says, “During Diwali, we see crackers bursting in the sky and they look beautiful I the night. But this year the crackers on the ground have reduced and we find it just flying in the sky.
Muzaffar, a rickshaw driver at Bandra says, “I usually drive in and around Bandra but during Diwali there is lot of traffic as people are out for shopping and the rush increases. However, in terms of crackers, this year there have been less crackers.”
So, with public testimonials portraying that the crackers have gone down during this Diwali, we all need to make an effort to celebrate the festival without causing any inconvenience to others. We agree that it is a celebration and festival of excitement so let us celebrate it in a way that spreads love but without harming anyone. Crackers not only harm others but also lead to injuries and casualties to children, so be aware, have a safe Diwali! In short, have a bright Diwali instead of a Loud Diwali!
Ronald Rodrigues
