When I was young, diwali always meant loads of goodies to eat and lots of crackers to burst! When I grew up, sometimes I feel angry towards my elders as to why they didn’t stop me from bursting crackers?
But why must I blame them? It is an individual decision, isn’t it?
I need to confess to myself that I didn’t stop bursting crackers because I thought of all the pollution that happens. But it was an incident that made me feel, that probably diwali is not at all about just bursting the crackers! Later on, eventually, I came on the level to think about the amount of pollution it causes…
I was a kid at that time. Where I lived, it was one of the busiest streets in our city. Right in the heart, there are all the residential complexes in that area. In all the excitement of diwali, there was a sudden yell! Everyone rushed to the building exactly opposite to ours.. And there lying was a boy in whose hands, by mistake, a cracker had burst and his hand was burnt! It was a very painful sight…….
And then it dawned on me that all this excitement can suddenly turn in a dreadful nightmare to which there can be no end. So many people may get hurt because of the crackers. So many people might be suffering because of the immense noise and the smoke that they have to breathe. Simply enough, they do not have a choice over the air they have to take into their lungs day in and day out
But we as individuals do have a choice of not polluting it!
I always tell people whom I meet that please don’t burst crackers as far as possible. First question they ask me, “Why not??”. At first I used to be shocked to get this reaction! I mean, even after so much of awareness created of the pollution that the crackers are causing, people ask this kind of question! I really spend a lot of time on this issue every year, simply because even if I can convince one family per year, I think it is worth it!
And we as citizens of this world, must do whatever is in our hands. And this is my bit towards it!
But why must I blame them? It is an individual decision, isn’t it?
I need to confess to myself that I didn’t stop bursting crackers because I thought of all the pollution that happens. But it was an incident that made me feel, that probably diwali is not at all about just bursting the crackers! Later on, eventually, I came on the level to think about the amount of pollution it causes…
I was a kid at that time. Where I lived, it was one of the busiest streets in our city. Right in the heart, there are all the residential complexes in that area. In all the excitement of diwali, there was a sudden yell! Everyone rushed to the building exactly opposite to ours.. And there lying was a boy in whose hands, by mistake, a cracker had burst and his hand was burnt! It was a very painful sight…….
And then it dawned on me that all this excitement can suddenly turn in a dreadful nightmare to which there can be no end. So many people may get hurt because of the crackers. So many people might be suffering because of the immense noise and the smoke that they have to breathe. Simply enough, they do not have a choice over the air they have to take into their lungs day in and day out
But we as individuals do have a choice of not polluting it!
I always tell people whom I meet that please don’t burst crackers as far as possible. First question they ask me, “Why not??”. At first I used to be shocked to get this reaction! I mean, even after so much of awareness created of the pollution that the crackers are causing, people ask this kind of question! I really spend a lot of time on this issue every year, simply because even if I can convince one family per year, I think it is worth it!
And we as citizens of this world, must do whatever is in our hands. And this is my bit towards it!
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