Diwali is also known as Deepavali and the “festival of lights“. Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs to mark historical events, stories or myths, but they all spiritually mark the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, hope over despair. There are various legends pointing to the origin of Diwali. Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu whereas in Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshiped in most Hindu homes on this day. In Jainism, Deepavali has an added significance to the great event of Lord Mahavira attaining the eternal bliss of nirvana or moksh.
Diwali also commemorates the return of Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshman from his fourteen year long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers. Diwali is celebrated by Sikhs as Bandi Chhorh Divas to mark the return of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, who was freed from imprisonment and also managed to arrange the release of 52 Hindu kings (political prisoners) at the same time from the famous fort of Gwalior by making clever use of Emperor Jahangir’s orders. In each legend, myth and story of Deepavali lays the significance of the victory of good over evil; with each Deepavali the lights illuminate our homes and hearts. But today more than these beliefs celebration of diwali has transformed into a day on which people celebrate their happiness by bursting crackers. For them Brighter the sparkles, louder the noise the greater the thrill!!In fact to many of us, these aesthetic forms of light seem so appropriate and most essential when celebrating the ‘Festival of Lights’. But people don’t realize that the temporary joy of watching the firecrackers is soon replaced by the intense air pollution caused by these. The toxic substances used in the firecrackers release toxic gases that are harmful to the health of all living beings. Bursting crackers leads to global warming and noise pollution. The high level of noise generated by the crackers cause immense suffering to birds and animals. Firecrackers used on Diwali are mostly made by very young children. Since the substances being handled are extremely toxic many of these child laborers get sick and die in their early teenage years. Despite of these ill effects we celebrate diwali in such a manner. As responsible citizens we should try to celebrate diwali in an eco friendly manner. Instead of selecting traditional chemical cracker this Diwali we should go for eco-friendly diwali crackers. It is high time to bring change owing to hazardous effects of crackers. Eco-friendly crackers are made up of recycled paper and the sound produced by these crackers is under the decibel limit defined by the Pollution Board.
These crackers produce paper fluffers and different color lights instead of sound on bursting. Instead of electric illumination we should go for traditional lightening of earthen lamps or diyas. This will not only enhance the beauty of our house but will also cut down the enormous electric consumption. Though earthen lamps need oil but the quantity is less and it gives light for at least 3-4 hours. One should try to do one good thing for someone this day by Feeding a hungry person, brightening up a dark hut, sharing sweets with the famished, giving education to someone, using our cracker’s money to burn up someone’s miseries, and not merely pollute the world. We will then begin to understand the real significance of Diwali. Doing this will not only save environment but ultimately proves beneficial to us. So this diwali go green and save environment.
By:
Er. Amanpreet Kaur
Member, Green ThinkerZ