For almost 20+ years now I have always said that Deepavali need not be about bursting crackers, the mindless spending of money on wasteful expenditure to burst loud crackers to create toxic fumes that hang on the city for couple of days choking every breathing lung, is not a way to celebrate any festival.
But, this year i am afraid talking about air or noise pollution on Deepavali day will make me look like an anti-national.
-- rhetoric is the lazy first step ('ask the christians to stop bursting crackers during christmas', 'why do you remember pollution only during hindu festival'...), these will be seen in the coming days in online posts and responses by the lazy gang
-- then comes the obscurantist smarty-pants view that can cite from unknown and unheard of scriptures, preferably in sanskrit, to justify polluting (as far as i know lighting of lamps are the only ones prescribed and none of the chemical ways of lamps or crackers were in vogue when the last time scriptures in sanskrit were composed in India) this view will be perpetrated by self-righteous hindus on whatsapp through the next week
-- the third is of course the more prevalent belligerent hindu who claims that polluting this land is a way of birthright for any hindu and if others don't like the land polluted they can go to pakistan / china / wherever...this is the self-declared saviours of hindu dharma who may appear in news channels and public podiums
Statistics say that india s one of the worst air polluted countries in the world, 15 of the top 20 air polluted cities in the world are in India, every 3 minutes the country loses a child to air pollution, the several toxic chemicals that are emitted in the air are not even in anyone's mind and there is no idea how these are regulated despite the SC making a strong case with the GoI few years ago, the noise pollution levels haven't been adequately studied to even count in the public conscience.
But let me not mention these and seek responsibility from the majority, we live in times when being majority is equated to being belligerent, irresponsible and aggressive beyond reason. so, wish you all a pollution filled Deepavali. May these dark times too see light of reason, knowledge and wisdom some day soon.
Happy festival season.
But, this year i am afraid talking about air or noise pollution on Deepavali day will make me look like an anti-national.
-- rhetoric is the lazy first step ('ask the christians to stop bursting crackers during christmas', 'why do you remember pollution only during hindu festival'...), these will be seen in the coming days in online posts and responses by the lazy gang
-- then comes the obscurantist smarty-pants view that can cite from unknown and unheard of scriptures, preferably in sanskrit, to justify polluting (as far as i know lighting of lamps are the only ones prescribed and none of the chemical ways of lamps or crackers were in vogue when the last time scriptures in sanskrit were composed in India) this view will be perpetrated by self-righteous hindus on whatsapp through the next week
-- the third is of course the more prevalent belligerent hindu who claims that polluting this land is a way of birthright for any hindu and if others don't like the land polluted they can go to pakistan / china / wherever...this is the self-declared saviours of hindu dharma who may appear in news channels and public podiums
Statistics say that india s one of the worst air polluted countries in the world, 15 of the top 20 air polluted cities in the world are in India, every 3 minutes the country loses a child to air pollution, the several toxic chemicals that are emitted in the air are not even in anyone's mind and there is no idea how these are regulated despite the SC making a strong case with the GoI few years ago, the noise pollution levels haven't been adequately studied to even count in the public conscience.
But let me not mention these and seek responsibility from the majority, we live in times when being majority is equated to being belligerent, irresponsible and aggressive beyond reason. so, wish you all a pollution filled Deepavali. May these dark times too see light of reason, knowledge and wisdom some day soon.
Happy festival season.
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