Keep Calm And Have A Green Diwali!

Aannddddd.. it’s that time of the year again! Marketplaces bustling with festive shoppers, houses being decorated and then redecorated over and over again, workaholics finally managing to take a break from their top-notch hectic schedules, the occurrence of overdue family gatherings, the fitness freaks ready to take a leap in their diets and ready to devour whatever comes their way, not caring about the ‘calorie count’, each and every house being illuminated with fancy lighting, making the overall appeal rustic and a visionary spectacle, basically, everything coming alive, beautifully! Well, I’m sure by now you guys have guessed about what I am blabbering about, yes! It’s the DIWALI season!! India ki official chuttiyan!

Diwali is the festival that brings with itself joy, for everyone, be it the kids, adults, oldies, so it comes as no surprise that it’s the much-awaited time of the year in our country and as known, the festival of lights is celebrated to mark the goodness over evil as per mythology but as we talk about today, does goodness really prevails?

It's no hidden fact that the festival is slowly but surely becoming a problem for the environment all over India due to the carelessness and unwariness of us, the celebrators! What a predicament!

The lighted diyas of holiness is said to be not only enlightening the environment but is also believed to shed the darkness of poverty and ignorance however it is also no hidden fact that every year while glorifying this festival, we are also somewhere demeaning and degrading our environment, creating serious health hazards for ourselves!

However, the real question is how far and how many of us are able to understand and comprehend the fact that we are moving away from the real essence and significance of the fiesta of light?

Unfortunately not many and unfortunately for many, Diwali has to be loud and blasting and contaminating, for them Diwali is not Diwali until and unless they fire and light a sack full of crackers and ladis that give bright and colorful illumination up in the sky (unimaginable amount of air pollution) and the sharpening, thunderous sound that is apparently very thrilling (unimaginable amount of noise pollution)

So, quick question, is it worth it?

Is it worth all the contamination and deprivation of our environment? Worth all the toxic filled air that you are gonna inhale for the following days that will make your eyes red and watery as its supremely infectious? Well, technically and pretty obviously, the answer should be a ‘NO’ but seemingly it’s a ‘YES’ for many. *sigh*

And therefore, when the news came that Supreme Court bans the sale of firecrackers in Delhi- NCR, quite ironically, many were relieved and welcomed it and many were distressed and dejected.

Growing up on the lap of the wonderful nature and being blessed with the gifts of creation, we should be grateful and it should be our primary and most important duty to understand the significance and spirit of the traditional Diwali celebrations while safeguarding our best interests for the environment as a whole.

Considering the same, here we suggest few ways of how you can celebrate the festival of lights in its best form, keeping its essence alive and cherishing the same in the most eco-friendly manner by going un-conventional!

1. Ditch Artificial, Go Natural

Easily available. Eco- friendly. Beautiful. The artisan hand-made diyas should be your ideal choice this Diwali. They are not only helping the ecology but also helping the poor artisan families, and since these products are locally produced and not imported, they also inadvertently in its own way help the economy. More than enough reasons to ditch the plastic, artificial diyas. 

2. Shun Crackers, Share Smiles 

Our reluctance towards a pollution-free Diwali causes us major ill effects, not only dampening the environment but being hazardous to our health, and if this what you think is the worst part then wait for it... The making of these firecrackers involves teenage workers. We hardly realize and comprehend the fact that these awful toxic substances which are handled by these young lads have an enormous effect on their health. This is why most of them die in early teenage. And for what? So that we further disturb the ecology? In addition to that, birds and animals suffer due to the extremely high level of generated noise.

Wanna know a way better alternative? Give back to society! Instead of spending hours bursting crackers, spend some quality time with underprivileged children. Donate old clothes, stationery, etc, play some games with them or distribute sweets; all in all, CELEBRATE with them. Share your smiles, spread laughter and cheer, after all, it is the festival of Lights; lighten up the darkness of their lives.

3. Unconventional is the key

Diwali or festival of lights calls for some enchanting illumination but that doesn’t mean you need to further load the already over-loaded electrical sources. Give the electrical appliances a miss and go natural. Make most of the customized earthen diyas, earthen lamps, and candles! This will not only reduce the amount of electricity being consumed, but the flickering diyas and candles will also your house an aesthetic edge too.

So This Diwali : Go Green, Go Eco-Friendly, Go Unconventional!