Thecla Pereira

Keeping in mind this is not our earth we have merely borrowed it from our children. So while you move on about your life and celebrate Diwali this year remember that a cleaner Diwali is indeed a happier Diwali for everyone. Many feel that the festival of lights and prosperity has turned into a festival of noise, accidents and pollution. Rahul Reddy, founder of the Octopus Foundation and a theatre artiste, feels that bursting crackers is not part of the festival and can be done away with for the sake of the environment and animals. “Diwali is a festival of lights and not noise and pollution. However, many feel that bursting crackers is a part of our tradition. We need to be environment and animal friendly. Even if it is a part of our tradition, we need to get rid of it,” he says. Another firm believer of this ideology is Ishan Rai, a student of Bits Pilani Hyderabad. She says, “We can stick to the tradition by performing puja and lighting diyas. I don’t think there would have been any crackers when Lord Ram came back to Ayodhya. We need to give the environment importance and not burst crackers. Is too much of anything good? The answer is in the question. To have too much, you must have more than you should have to begin with by definition. If you exceed what is a normal, healthy, correct, proper, etc., whatever level of anything, then it immediately becomes worse for you. Living life without moderation is typically a bad thing. In short, yes, too much of anything is bad, from a human perspective, so are the crackers…..

Grateful for the gift of creation and contrite in the face of the deteriorating condition of the natural world, we invite men and women of goodwill in every walk of life to consider with us the moral issues raised by the environmental crisis.

How are we called to care for God's creation? These are matters of powerful urgency and major consequence. They constitute an exceptional call to conversion. As individuals, as institutions, as a people, we need a change of heart to preserve and protect the planet for our children.

Let’s make this Diwali a little safer and a little less harmful to the Earth and its inhabitants. We are the educated ‘lot’ of the society and yet we are responsible for encouraging such practices. Buying crackers is an utter waste of money and is harmful for the environment too. Nowadays, Diwali is not a simple festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness, rather it has become more of a show of one’s own status. It is not an event of ‘coming together’ of family and friends only, it is also a pompous show.

There are so many other ways to celebrate Diwali. Light up your homes (diyas, candles), meet people (spend it in an orphanage or old age home), make your own sweets and distribute, play with your little ones, plant trees (buy house plants), go hiking and more. Let’s celebrate Diwali keeping in mind that it’s not our earth to keep, we have merely borrowed it from our children. Let’s not do more damage than we have already done. Let’s do our own bit to save the earth. This Diwali let there be friendship, love, light and love rather than smoke, noise, garbage, injury and pollution. Have a safe and wonderful Diwali, and make sure your house is lit up in celebrations!