To The Brightest Diwali Ever

Laughter in the air, boxes of mithai to be devoured, every street in the city encloaked in millions of lights, tiny diyas adorning the whole house , the mesmerising fireworks and an absolute feeling of togetherness – that’s when we know it’s Diwali, just round the corner. Deepavali, or ‘the festival of lights’ is one of the brightest and most widely celebrated festivals in India. Of bonding with friends and family, of creating wonderful memories, of treating our eyes to magical fireworks and of joy all around – Diwali is nothing less of an absolute euphoria in this country.

But, as the saying goes “rights and duties are two sides of the same coin” . Therefore , just as we have every right to celebrate this beautiful festival, it is our own duty to ensure that Diwali is not merely ecstatic, but safer, as well. Deepavali , as the name suggests, is a festival of brightness. Because of this association with light, celebration of Diwali is not merely limited to lighting lamps or diyas. Rather, lighting firecrackers is one of the features which make the festival of Deepavali this unique. The mesmering fireworks truly makes us ecstatic such that we seldom give a thought about the dangers that they pose. Few of us are aware of the fact that each and every year , hundreds of people across the country, lose their lives and thousand more are injured because of blast accidents that occur while bursting firecrackers.

Not only does firecrackers cause air pollution and endanger the risks of asthma, respiratory problems or even lung cancer but a majority of crackers cause noise pollution, as well which can lead to permanent deafness or cardiac arrest of infants and aged. The firecrackers are a great threat to our pets. They, unlike humans, do not understand the purpose of firecrackers and sometimes people harass these innocent beings by lighting firecrackers to simply scare them away. The purpose of Diwali, we must remember is to eliminate darkness from our lives and therefore while lighting firecrackers, adequate precautions for the purpose of safety, should be taken by each one of us. The Government should implement measures to monitor the kind of crackers being sold in the markets and and to impose a strict sound limit such that no noise pollution is caused by firecrackers. Even we, the people, should be responsible enough to maintain a safe distance while lighting crackers and not to buy crackers that might cause noise pollution.  It is our duty to make Diwali not only brighter but safer, at the same time. Afterall that’s what defines our humanity – to empathise and to do our own bit so that this year India actually rejoices the celebration of Deepavali , a festival of brightness illuminated by thousands of compassionate and responsible souls . Here’s to an oath of the brightest Diwali ever, by the whole of India.

Wish you a Very Happy Diwali!!

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