Its 'Deep'awali...

Hi friends!🙋
I wanted to discuss with you something very important. But before any serious and boring discussion begins😑 a little entertainment😁 will be better. Let's take a glide into the festive month.🎁                                             
 Navratri, the pious period of nine days that witnesses a lot of Bhakti towards female deities, starts with the day called Pratham Sthapna or Pahilthapna, in the local dialect. Many people keep a fast on this day but the motivation for everyone fasting is not the same. Most fast because of their dedication towards the godesses🙏, some to relax the digestive system for a day😌, some even to get that tasty fasting stuff😜 (the so called falahar) and people like me (the most innocent you know) just because everyone else in the family is fasting😉😂.
My experience with fasting is not very good. As a kid I once appealed Mom that I would keep a fast. That day after time immemorial the fulki wala 😈, popcorn wala👿, halwa wala👹 and gudia ka baal wala👺 all got the time to visit my street.😡😭 (If only I could ban their entry into my street for the fear that they will pollute my vrat😷 #sabarimala). Thus, I fasted for an enormous 10 hrs after which my patience bid me a good bye😰.
With such nightmarish experience of fast I feel amazed to see people fasting for nine days😱. My god!! Although a few have water and fruits as falahar, most of them have nothing except fried potato, peanuts, singhade ki pooris, sabudane ki tehri, kuttu ki poori, light vegetable, fruits, dry fruits, milk, tea😱😱. Huh!!! I literally worry for their health.
That feeling of keeping a fast itself makes a person hungry. However, fasting sometimes becomes no fasting at all because the number of dishes, the fat and carbs and the magnanimous calorie content therein (as above) fills the stomach more than that on a non fasting day.😆
But what is beautiful about fasting in India is the kind of respect you get when on visiting someone you say," Arey No No.... I would take nothing. Today is my fast." Have you ever tried this? Believe me, this statement will get you either something very special to eat, made just for you😛 or numerous good wishes from the host who were just upset that they will have to prepare some sophisticated refreshment for you.😒
Navratri ends with navami and dussehra.
Navami, the day when you actually realise the lop sided gender ratio in your locality as you face dearth of girl children for kanyabhoj👧. Navami is one of those days when a girl child actually feels how special she is👰👸. But a little request to everyone out there, "Please don't make girls goddesses. Let them remain humans at least. It is better to be a human the whole year than being a deity for a day." Though I can see the change and I appreciate it whole heartedly👍. I just imagine a day when women's achievement will make news not just for the reason that they are women.
Eg, if I ask you that who is the first Indian cricketer to have made 2000 runs in T 20, hardly anyone (who does not know the answer) would utter Mithali Raj's name. Am I right?
Well, next comes Dussehra, the time we burn the effigies of Ravana👹. I shall discuss it a little later.

A few days after Dussehra comes the most awaited- Diwali✨. I always used to wait eagerly for diwali. Do you know why? Because that was the only day when Mumma strictly told me that the next day i.e. on Pareva, I should not study,📚🚫 not even for a second. It is the only lucky day when parents become strict for NOT studying. 😝Do you have the same case? Hmmm?
Well, here is a small story-
Like every diwali even this diwali Vidhi was on the terrace lighting diya when she heard a blast and then a loud wail. As she peeped down the railings she found that a cracker had come from nowhere and exploded near Chhotu, the neighbourhood boy, injuring him badly. But as she was looking down, the rocket (that Chhotu had ignited few seconds ago) from the bottle flew passed Vidhi, close enough for the heat to be felt. The noise from the rocket and that fear of horrific accident temporarily deafened Vidhi. She sat down holding her head and only after a good span of time could she breathe normally. She had missed an accident by less than an inch. But Chhotu couldn't.
By now you must have got an idea of what was the 'something' that I wanted to discuss. A little questionnaire for all my readers-
Q1- Do you burn Crackers?
Q2- If yes, why?
Q3- Imagine I ask you for your LPG cylinder to use it for bonfire, your headphones to use them as shoe laces and your permission to take away the doors of your house. If I give you the same reason, as you gave in 'Q2', will you give me the above things?😕😲 Sounds ridiculous. Right? But look! You ought to, if you demand my ambient atmosphere, my peace and my security for the same reason.🙅
I understand what one gets by burning crackers. One gets a lot of thrill and entertainment. Even I as a child was fascinated at them, but note, only as a child. As I grew up my parents taught me the cons of fireworks and I, like many of you left burning crackers over a decade ago. For the ones who still can't abandon burning crackers, I list here the cons of these 'nothing for good' items.
1. Pollution- Crackers no matter audio or video type are excessive polluters and if you have good olfactory receptors (smelling capacity) you can easily detect the difference between smells of the diwali and a non diwali night.😷
2. Noise- In addition to this who doesn't know the unnecessary sound it creates that causes temporary uneasiness to permanent damages especially to infants and elderly staying even streets apart. Okay one interesting question to those who love burning chain or, better to say, brain crackers like lari, chatai, sutli bum etc.-
Why do you become Gandhiji's monkey, 🙉pressing tight your ears after lighting the cracker? Why don't you stand erect and dare the blasting sound? It is because the sound is devastating. Imagine the ones who are completely unprepared for the sound of blast, especially ones with a weak heart- infants, elderly and heart patients. Acceptable sound limit is 80 dB (decibles). A prolonged exposure to 100 dB can cause a permanent damage and even a small exposure to 130+dB can cause temporary to permanent damage. For your kind information the sound of your favourite crackers above is ~140dB. Rest, I assume you are wise enough.👍
3.Accidents- Third comes the issue of security. I will not write much on this. Just a question. Name one Diwali when nobody was hurt by a cracker. Can you? Not only customers but also manufacturers are under the threat with the factories being highly vulnerable to devastating fire.
4. Discrimination- I feel so proud when I see students taking vow not to burn cracker but I feel equally ashamed when I see adults acting childish by showing off the heat of their pockets through the fireworks. Please note crackers not only act as agents of air pollution, noise pollution and potential threats but also agents of social and financial discrimination.
5. Expenditure- I feel I don't need to tell you the monetary cost that one has to bear for these fire works but for your satisfaction let me tell you that a single fireworks brand of Sivkashi is worth 2000 crore Rs.
If you can think of some more cons of crackers, light them in comments.
And now coming to the Ravana effigies. Don't worry! I did not forget it.😎 Each burning Ravana gives birth to a Ravana himself- the Ravana black in colour, rising like ominous clouds having the potential to choke human to death. Moreover, case of Amritsar where a train mowed down scores of people watching the Ravana dahan event is like another harsh warning.
But it is not that there are no solutions. I will give you some-
1. Detach prestige and crackers- In my colony a prosperous family with 7digit monthly income brought fireworks worth Rs. 20k. Another family who had once been prosperous but now earned some Rs. 35000 brought crackers worth Rs. 21k. Who was at loss? No not just the second person but the whole colony. The explosions gave a feel of tankers firing at the line of control- uncomfortable and insecure. The light was beautiful but the next few hours were choking. The smoke stayed due to creeping wind speed enveloping houses and the kid of a third family had to be taken to hospital on complaint of breathlessness.
So, mind it you don't need to burn crackers just to show that you have enough money to buy them.
2. Reduce- If you love burning them, it will be nearly impossible to leave it all at once, unless you have a very good will power. So, just reduce there no. to half each year. Two people doing this will amount to one person leaving it altogether each year. Smart maths. Right?😇
3. Persuade kids- If your kids are too young to understand the ill effects of the crackers, lure them with some constructive rewards (a trip to museum or planetarium or a new musical instrument, or a new storybook or magazine) for not burning crackers. But they are kids. What if they don't agree? Let them burn crackers but be strict about the quantity, the noise and kids' security. Keep teaching them its cons.
4. Organize community diwali- If ten families burn 2 pot (anaar) each. They will suffice burning ten, if they can all enjoy it together. This can drastically reduce the quantity of fireworks. Moreover, may be a kid from a family which could not buy crackers for economic reasons, also witness the sparkle with sparkling eyes. But community events should be organised well not to cause a mishap.
5. Green crackers- Using environment friendly crackers can also be a better option. I know they will cost more. But the negative externality (the uncounted cost of something) of the non green crackers in the form of environmental degradation is far more expensive. So, reduce the quantity and increase the quality.
If you can think of some more... You know.... in the comments please👇

Now, in case anyone out there feels that my views are in any way hurting their religious sentiment, let me clarify.💁 Diwali or Deepawali is celebrated to commemorate the event of Rama returning to Ayodhya and people lighting Diyas (mind it, Diyas and not crackers) to welcome him. So, the actual feeling stands defeated with string of LEDs replacing diyas.

Noteworthy part is that in many of the houses these strings are lit through an invalid 'katiya type' electricity connection. For both the things, be it domestic fireworks show or the Ravanadahan events, we seriously need to introspect-
Are we doing it for the sake of Faith or just Fun?
Has it something to do with Emotion or just Entertainment?
Keep the answer of your heart to yourself but bring the change to the society.
Also, let not Diwali take all the curse because crackers remain crackers even in marriages, new year or any other celebration for that matter. And it is not just India which needs to bring the change, it's the need of the world. I know it is not always possible to start doing something good 👍but with a little effort we can at least stop doing something bad. ✋Right?
Supreme Court's welcome verdict is a step in the same direction. I am happy that the scenario is changing and I am hopeful for the future. I imagine a day when courts would not have to dictate when and what crackers should be burn or should they be burnt at all.

While criticising crackers it is imperative to call your attention to a less noted evil of gambling in the name of Diwali. Gambling, which is fatal for time, money and societal development at large, is played with intense auspiciousness. I don't want you to compromise with your faith or emotion. I just want to remove the evil practices involved in the pious festivals of India.  All I need is the support of my intelligent readers who have the appetite to change for better.

Have a happy and safe Deepawali.🙏
All photo credit- Google guru
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