Dr. Banarsi Lal
Diwali or Deepawali also known as the festival of hope and lights is the major festival in India.It is a cherished occasion celebrated across India and beyond with great enthusiasm and fervor. On this day people worship the goddess Lakshmi and commemorate the victory of good over evil.On this ,Lord Rama ,Mata Sita and Lakhsman returned to Ayodhya after completing 14 years exile and defeating Ravana. When lord Rama defeated demon Ravana and came back home after 14 years of exile, people of Ayodhya decorated their homes and the markets with earthen lights to celebrate the return of their King and thus this festival came into existence. This festival also signifies the victory of good over evil. In present era people celebrate Diwali by illuminating earthen lamps and firing crackers across the nation and abroad causing lot of pollution in the environment. Over the years ,the celebration has impacted the environment due to pollution that takes place through burning of crackers. People visit their nears and dears and exchange sweets and gifts to express their happiness with each other. Firing crackers give us joy for sometimes but it causes noise and air pollution which have hazardous effects on our health and environment. The health hazards of firecrackers used to celebrate the festival are not known to many people. Many people believe that greater the fireworks, the better the celebrations. Very few people know how harmful these crackers are for the environment. Firecrackers can lead to burns and eye injuries during the celebration of Diwali. The ingredients in the firecrackers such as dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are air pollutants. The burning of crackers releases the different types of pollutants into the atmosphere including particulate matter, nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides. These pollutants cause respiratory problems ,increase health issues and also cause acid rain.The noise pollution cased by the fireworks can disturb wildlife and disturbs the tranquility of neighbourhoods. Crackers are injurious to all especially senior citizens and children health. In India noise pollution is a regular phenomenon especially in the urban areas. The sources of noise pollution is usually multiplied during festivals like Diwali ,in which firecrackers are responsible for noise pollution which further led to temporary or permanent deafness. There is need to celebrate Diwali with eco-friendly alternatives.LED lights and lanterns are safe and more sustainable options. Encouragement should be given on community celebration instead of individual celebration. The cost of celebration can be reduced and the paper pollution caused by firing crackers can also be minimized. By encouraging the eco-friendly Diwali, the noise and air pollution can be reduced. The Diwali should be celebrated in a limited area and for limited time say 9pm to 10 pm. This can reduce the air and noise pollution. In the rural areas the festival generally comes after harvesting of the Kharif crops and farmers thank to God for their good crops.
We should follow the eco-friendly practices on Diwali. We can decorate our homes with colourful duppattas instead of plastic streamer. We can use the organic colours for Rangoli and real flowers and avoid the artificial flowers. Eco-Friendly crackers are available in the market. These eco-friendly crackers are made up of recycled paper and the sound produced by these crackers is as per the defined limits of the Pollution Board. Different paper fluffers and color lights are produced when these crackers are brusted. We can decorate our homes with the earthen lamps instead of electrical lamps. Earthen lamps need oil for illumination and they produce meager amount of pollution in comparison to artificial lights. The earthen lamps can also help to reduce the electricity bills and the house beautification can also be enhanced. On this festival we express our happiness by exchanging gifts and sweets with the others. Celebrate this Diwali by gifting organic commodities to your friends and relatives. There are a number of organic products available in the market; you can gift organic fruits and vegetables, organic flowers, clothes made up of organic cotton, organic soaps and creams, organic tea, organic spices etc. We can also gift plants on this Diwali. There are a number of ornamental plants available in the market we can gift them to our relatives and friends. We can gift all these commodities in hand made clothes/wrappers. People do shopping on Diwali. It’s an age old tradition to buy something new on Diwali. But on this Diwali purchase only the needful things. Buy only those things which are useful for you because more consumption of things will lead to consumption of raw material used in manufacturing of those things. Thus, the pressure on natural resources will be increased which ultimate lead to their extinction. The resources such as water, labour, energy, money etc. can be saved by using the needful commodities.
On this Diwali natural resources can be utilized by avoiding the artificial things. Use banana leaves to serve the guests at your home. By doing this you can add a traditional touch to this festive season. Earthen pots can be used instead of glass and plastic to add ethnic feeling. By doing this you can keep eco-friendly environment at your home and surroundings. Before Diwali people clean their houses to make them attractive and beautiful. People take out unwanted things like toys, house hold items and cloths and donate them to the poor people. We can also buy some cloths, books, colors, sweets etc for them. Through this way we can make our Diwali brighter and y memorable. At Diwali all members of the family assemble together. The children and the old people should also be involved in celebration of Diwali and we can bring little joy in their lives by celebrating Diwali with them. We can go to an old age home or an orphanage and celebrate Diwali with them. Buy some clothes, sweets, lamps, candles etc. and share these things with them. They will be very happy. Many natural and organic fairs are held during Diwali time. One can explore shops selling natural and eco-friendly commodities on this festival. Many Self Help Groups (SHGs) are making earth friendly handicrafts and organic items to eat. One can gift organic and natural food items to his or her relatives. We can use the reusable glass jars for packing the edible items instead of plastic containers. Eco-friendly Diwali will help us to keep our environment clean and green. So celebrate eco-friendly and innovative Diwali. Happy Diwali to all the readers. Have a lovely, earth friendly and loving Diwali.An eco-friendly Diwali is not only a responsible choice but also a way to celebrates the festival’s true spirit of joy,prosperity and harmony with nature.There is need to create awareness on the hazards of firecrackers on the health of human-beings.It has been observed that many people have favourable attitude towards eco-friendly Diwali.
(The writer is Chief Scientist & Head of KVK Reasi SKUAST-J)