Opinion: 'This Deepavali, light up lives instead of fire crackers', writes K Abdul Ghani

As a social activist, I have been seeing an increasing number of people choosing to celebrate the ‘Festival of Lights’ without crackers. Earlier, there was not much awareness conducted on the concept of ‘Green Deepavali’. But over the past few years, most of the schools have taken a strong stand against bursting crackers, considering the harmful impacts on the environment. They have started campaigning in a big way before the festival. Some schools celebrate Deepavali by taking children to old-age homes, to celebrate with the elderly and spread joy in their lives. Children, too, are way ahead of many of us, when it comes to protecting the environment. Their understanding of the need for an eco-friendly Deepavali is much better than others. 

I know of children, who have actively been advocating cracker-free celebrations. Truly, they have gone to the next level, in caring for our environment. Social media too has helped immensely. There is more awareness now among the public. For instance, many people know that fireworks don’t just cause environmental impact. There is also a humane element to it. The child labour employed in cracker production units has deterred many from buying crackers. Apart from air and noise pollution, the crackers end up in our waterbodies, harming the flora and fauna. 

The crackers also cause a harmful impact on animals, who are terrified by the loud noise. The firecrackers also raise the question of safety. In other countries, there is a designated area organised for people to burst crackers. There will be a provision for safety mechanisms such as fire extinguishers and fire personnel on standby. But here, the crackers are burst haphazardly, in every corner of the road. If careless, this  could lead to fire accidents. 

The concept of ‘Green Deepavali’ is about not bursting crackers. But it is also about celebrating the festival with others. Light diyas instead of fireworks. Visit old age homes, distribute sweets and spend time with people who have been forgotten; for whom, there is no Deepavali. Celebrate the festival with the people who clean our streets. Celebrate the ‘festival of lights’ by lighting up lives of those around you.