Indian Festivals

Yesterday I came back after enjoying 3 days of complete bliss. Yes, its a rare thing of getting 3 holidays back to back. It was festival season & everything just happened good.

Yes, the 3 holidays were for Diwali, New Year for Gujarati's & Bhai Duj. It was wonderful. You could see lights everywhere. In the past when there were less of buildings, I would peep out of my window to see a necklace of colored lighting's. It would seem that the entire city has become a newly wedded bride. But with new buildings, the necklace view got blocked in parts. But nevertheless, the city still appears colorful.

I read an article by Pritesh Nandy which appeared in Bombay Times, dated 16-11-2012. He said that how when his father was young (those were the times of non-independent British India) where everybody celebrated every festival. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, Chinese (though small in number), Anglo-Indians, Sikhs etc celebrated each other's festivals. But with time, after independence in 1947, after the 1962 war, after anti-Sikh riots of 1984, everybody regressed to I, me rather than we. The celebrations were restricted, there was suspicion everywhere. The political parties took advantage of this creating further rifts. But with time, things changed. People of different sects, castes & religions wait for different festivals for offers during which they could buy different commodities at a lower price. The conditions have turned up in such a manner that people are again coming together for celebrations the main reason being holidays. In the past, as a child I would wait for Bakri Id because apart from a holiday, my neighbor, who were Muslims, would make excellent mutton biriyani & rice kheer & give us. But now I long for a holiday so that along with a much awaited break from the departmental hectic work schedule, I would get to spend time with my family.

But my reasons for writing this post is not how Indian people were bonded before, drifted in time due to certain reasons & are re-bonding again. The core of the current post is pollution.

As a child, I used to wait for Diwali festivals. We got long winter holiday's during the Diwali period from school & we used to burst crackers. I was small, ignorant & constantly stayed in the blissful state away from the reality. Today I am a mother of a 1 & 1/2 year old son. Whenever the crackers burst bhum, that he would get scared. We went on a tour for 2 days & 1 night during this 3 day holiday. When we came back, my son got tired from the journey & slept early. But for the crackers...........

The pattern of the crackers was as such....... Dhum Dhum, or Bhum Bhum or, Phut pheww Phut pheww. My son would get up crying. The crackers would keep bursting sometime in the known way & sometimes in an unknown way, but they kept bursting deafening my ears & disturbing my child's sleep. When you look out of the window, one could find immense smoke which was generated due to ignition of the crackers.

Yes pollution - Noise as well as Air.

It was this festival I realized how disturbing these crackers are. And I realized because it disturbed & scared my son. But I thought, would not these crackers disturb other small children who are in the same age group as my son. Also it would disturb the sick, who wouldn't like hearing the constant dhum dhum. Not to forget the ageing who also might probably have an heart ailment. The older children, who enjoy bursting crackers, are all crackers that safe that they would cause no harm, absolutely no harm to them? Is the pollution caused by the bursting of this crackers safe for all the residents? ANSWER - No.

Now coming to the Ganesha Festival. Same status. The last day, there is always the bursting of crackers, causing noise + air pollution. But to add to these, there is also water pollution. It is a well known fact that the Ganesha idols which are made of POP & certain colors are immersed in sea, thereby causing sea pollution & harming the ecosystem. Everybody realizes but as it is said, if one has to remain in the blissful state, remain ignorant. Ganesha festivals have become a business so is Diwali. Also in the Ganesha festival, people do crowd to worship less & get drunk more. I dig in such a manner because I myself being a Hindu disapprove it.

Now to add to these, people get married, there are cricket matches won & again a reason to pollute the environment. People just cannot adopt an alternative better method to enjoy.

Now, someone would say, as people have commented at different times on different people, that I being a Hindu why am I commenting on Hindu festivals & no comments on Muslim & other religion festivals. My comments are on all festivals & incidences who would cause a pain in my head. I do not live in a Muslim dominated area where there would be such noise & air pollution's caused. Yes I have passed through certain Muslim dominated area's on way to my work place & back home where I have heard music being played at a certain unimaginable volume. I am against it.

Also my concern about the noise pollution is - with the crackers bursting dhum, bhum, what would happen if a real terrorist explosion would occur. That I would leave on to my readers to think.

Celebrate but think about others - is my message to the people of all caste's & religion's.