‘I will celebrate Diwali my way. What about you?’

Sitting alone in a room while your friends are out lighting firecrackers may sound like punishment. But there are few who choose to be left out. The reason is simple: They think green and don’t want to do anything that will contribute to polluting the environment.

The festival of lights is all about sound and fury. We all know firecrackers release harmful gases in the atmosphere but we do nothing about it. “People blindly follow things that everyone participates in. The true essence of Diwali is lost in the noise and smoke of crackers,” says Ashwin Palkar, a 26-year-old art director, who chooses to opt out of lighting firecrackers in his housing society.

Around five years ago, he made a conscious decision to stop lighting crackers during the festival. “Some years back, I used to go to Nariman Point with my family and friends to light crackers and watch the display at Marine Drive. But as I grew older, firecrackers didn’t excite me,” adds Palkar.

For 22-year-old final year BArch student, Anish Shetty, things changed when he burnt his hand while playing with a sparkler when four. “It left a mark not only on my hand, but on my mind too. From that day, I was never interested in lighting crackers.”

Shetty learned that there is more to Diwali than lighting firecrackers, so he did not mind being left out. He adds, “In the beginning, it was difficult to resist the temptation, but as I learned more about the significance of the festival, I realised that lighting crackers really doesn’t make sense.”

The environment, of course, is a major cause of concern, and has led many to rethink what they do. Hari Chakyar, a 24-year-old copywriter and a ‘green’ world promoter, feels that festivals are all about having fun. He says, “I prefer to spend the festival with friends and family. We play cards or board games all night long. Lighting crackers is not the only way to have fun.”

Chakyar adds, “We still have a mind-set and it is very difficult to change it. No one likes meddling in others affairs, but if anyone asks me why I’m not lighting crackers, I make it a point to tell them what’s good and what’s not.”

The plight of small children making and burning their hands at firecracker factories makes one sad. Chakyar feels that telling people about this can convince them to boycott firecrackers for good.

Palkar adds, “There is a need for collective awareness programmes at the grassroot level. People have to be made aware of the consequences of their actions. The authorities can do their duty, but unless and until people take responsibility, it is impossible to keep an eye on everyone in a big city like Mumbai.”

He feels that housing societies need to come together and explain to people how they can play a part in saving the environment. Rules have to be made and implemented if we want quiet celebrations.

Usually, celebrations  go on till early morning. People don’t seem to care  about others who may be disturbed.

“We have lakshmi puja at home, so I can’t go out of town to avoid the noise that keep us up all night,” says Sonal Khandelwal, a 25-year-old post-graduate student.

“There are better ways to spend money than wasting it on firecrackers,” she adds. There are many who agree with her and prefer to donate the money to the needy.

So, how many people have it in them to go against the flow and make a stand? If you feel strongly about this, you are not alone.

I don’t light crackers as I’m scared of fire. And they pollute too. I don’t like ones that make too much noise. I only like to watch them from a distance 
—Rhea Dhanbhoora, 20

I want to be part of an eco-friendly society. I am thankful that my parents and school teachers educated me about the ill-effects of crackers
—Akshaya Dhuri, 25

I stopped lighting crackers when I was 11. I even made my students give up crackers by telling them about the horrific impact that they have
—Anand Pendharkar, 39