Navi Mumbai: Quieter and brighter Diwali celebrations

Kaboom. Boosh. Barroom. The onomatopoeic words associated with Diwali till now were something like these. While a matter of excitement and fun to some, it was mostly pain to others.

However, over the years, there has been a sharp decline in the number of people bursting crackers with some either becoming environmentally conscious or considering the money spent, a waste. Either ways, many people across Navi Mumbai are preferring a quieter but brighter Diwali.

Said Sanpada resident Rajashri Nagarajan, “My daughter has not been bursting crackers since childhood as she was afraid and later she felt that spending so much is a total waste. And when there are many ways of celebrating the festival in a better way, why pollute the environment and trouble people?”

Nagarajan, like many people sees happiness in making and sharing sweets and lighting diyas. “We add colour in our own way by wearing new clothes, drawing different rangolis throughout the three days, lighting at least 20-25 diyas not only outside our doorstep but also inside our house in the balcony, bathroom etc. Lastly, we go to the temple with the family in the evening to add meaning to the celebration.” She added that in her society, even North Indians who are exuberant when it comes to bursting crackers, have reduced it.

Siddharth Singh, resident of Airoli said that in his society many people own pets and since the sound of crackers upsets them, many choose to refrain from loud and noisy crackers. “People in our society have either dogs or cats and for their sake they choose to not burst crackers. This year, in fact, it is very quiet.”

Parents feel that schools are doing a great job of changing childrens’ mindset. Said Baljit Singh, “My daughter understands that bursting crackers will slowly have an adverse impact on the environment.”