Cracker-free celebrations in this bird-friendly Kovai village

Continuing with their several years of practice, the villagers are gearing up to celebrate yet another noiseless and pollution free festival of lights with a strong reason behind it.

“We stopped using fire crackers to avoid scaring hundreds of bats and other winged visitors flocking the trees in our village,” said S Palanisamy, President of the Noyyal Pasumai Kazhagam.

In their empathy towards the winged visitors, the villagers have decided to celebrate Deepavali without bursting crackers. “This year too, it will be a silent Deepavali. We all, from elders to children, feel content to celebrate a cracker free festival over the last seven years,” he added.

The Noyyal Pasumai Kazhagam was involved in creating awareness on an eco-friendly Deepavali in the past years. “Though we have ended our campaign, villagers are still following their decision to facilitate these winged visitors and they have also realise that fire-crackers have ill-effects,” said S Palanisamy.

Villagers said that a large number of birds like bats, mynah and cattle egret visit the huge banyan trees located in Kittampalayam village. Hundreds of bats could be seen clinging to these trees even during the daytime. As these bats take flight after dark, other birds move into these trees for shelter at night.

Children said that they too feel happy about celebrating the festival without firecrackers. “For us Deepavali is all about wearing a new dress, eating sweets and watching new films in television. Even if some of us get tempted, we will use noiseless crackers that do not emit sound and cause disturbance to birds. Hence we get to enjoy the chirps of birds even on the festival day,” said R Buvanasri, a Class 6 student and a resident of the village.

Meanwhile, the Forest Department has also appealed to people in villages located abutting the forest boundary to abstain from using crackers even during the permitted hours. “The animals and birds here live in a healthy and pollution free ambience, but the loud noise and poisonous smoke released by crackers cause disturbance to wild animals. It may also cause respiratory problems to birds and can even lead to the death of birds due to shock on hearing high sound from crackers,” said an official from the Forest Department.