This Diwali- it’s a tug war of words

              This Diwali- it’s a tug war of words

Picture Credit: Farhan Ahmad Siddiqui

One of the most-loved festival is just round the corners, and we people are just diving into the spirit of festivity. Come Diwali and one can hear the sounds of firecrackers exploding from all the directions. People of all age group get fascinated towards firecrackers, making it a prominent part of the celebrations. For anyone who has enjoyed a spectacular fireworks display, a part of the scene was most of the times obscured by thick cloud of smoke from the burning firecrackers themselves.

 As a general person I don’t like Ban. I don’t like government or court to nag and drag a case of no mass appeal. In that vein, I didn’t even like the ban on firecrackers, which was suddenly a full stop into one’s traditional journey. But giving it a second thought to the effect is my tradition causing harm to rest? Are the celebrations becoming hazardous for all? And the answer is Yes. Though we not sense it or we do not want to accept it, but yes the celebrations are affecting us all. Now thanks to the obnoxious debates that are prevailing over the order of the Supreme Court to ban the firecrackers giving space to “victimisation of Hindus in their own land”.

People could have easily raised their concerns instead of those knee-jerk communal bonfires taking place all over the social media. Recently some data was released post the banning of the firecrackers in a magazine stating that Carbon Monoxide that releases from burnt crackers accumulate in our blood 220 times more strongly than the oxygen we breathe. But don’t worry these stats doesn’t make a difference when it comes to bursting one of them, as who cares to give this a thought when we are in the full mood of festivity. Who cares the amount of toxic that these crackers release which can prove fatal and hazardous equally for the health as well as for nature. A number of health warnings have been issued worldwide for susceptible individuals to avoid bursting of firecrackers and even displaying it.

With not just this some more astonishing facts that may particularly surprise you are that Air pollution during Diwali goes up to 30 per cent increasing the 20 per cent risk of death from lung cancer. Firecrackers for instance can cause hearing loss, high blood pressure, sleeping disturbances and sudden exposure to loud noise can cause temporary or permanent deafness or even result in heart attack. Nausea and mental impairment are also some of the side effects of firecrackers. Several activist of the city are gearing up by joining hands to have a pollution free Diwali this year. 

Clearing the raised doubts among citizens, the Supreme Court said that it has banned only the sale of firecrackers, not on bursting. Having said that, the order created a spirit of sensation among all overnight. People of all walks too took to various social media handles to voice their unhappiness. Several sentiments got echoed and to counter conspiracy theorists, there were appeals for logic.

 Taking the discussion not too forward with my idealistic theories I would just like to conclude on a very short note let each one of us take a pledge this Diwali to say NO to firecrackers and invest in a safer and greener future. Diwali is the festival of lights and we must enlighten our lives with this sparkle of joy and goodwill, by forgetting past grievances and looking ahead for a brighter and happier future.