Here's How Diwali Celebrations Have Changed With Time

Time flies, and change kicks in. Nothing remains untouched by this law of nature, and so does the way we live, eat and even the way we celebrate festivals. From enjoying Diwali holidays as kids to being burdened with homework, from being excited about crackers to acting responsibly towards the environment, from lightening earthen diyas to using electric lamps and fairy lights, from visiting each other's homes to being holed up at one's own house, a lot has changed in the way we celebrate the festival of lights. Here are six reasons how I feel the Diwali celebration has changed over the years:

From Holidays To Homework

As a kid, I remember being excited about Diwali holidays as that meant unobstructed fun with family and friends and no school. Though we too had some homework, that never impeded our merriment. However, today I see kids so busy in their studies that none of them get to fully enjoy the festive season. That's yet another reason why festivals do not feel like celebrations these days.

From enjoying Diwali holidays as kids to being burdened with homework, from being excited about crackers to acting responsibly towards the environment, a lot has changed in the way we celebrate Diwali.

We're keeping to ourselves

I remember going out with my parents on Diwali to meet our neighbours. But today, we're either too busy with our own stuff, or like keeping to ourselves. In fact, I've seen people appreciate the fact that one likes to stay at home and do nothing. We're moving towards celebrating an isolated Diwali, the one which just involves our family.

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Too Busy To Celebrate It The Right Way

Do you witness the same chaos during Diwali today as you did previously? Hardly.  In fact, I feel that the enthusiasm associated with festivals is depleating day by day. The chaos during festivals is associated with a frenzied feeling which has its own importance.

Soan Papdi Doesn't Lure Us Anymore

We've become diet conscious these days. Though it is a good thing, to some extent, it has taken from us, the excitement associated with a festival. Since Diwali is a festival of sweets and lights, as a kid, I used to be so excited about having sweets and festive food. But time has changed. Though we have diet sweets, but they lack originality and the true sweetness of sugary laddoo and gujjiya.

We've become diet conscious these days. Though it is a good thing, to some extent, it has taken from us, the excitement associated with a festival.

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Clay Diyas Have Been Replaced With Electric Diyas

Why do we celebrate Diwali? More importantly, why is it named 'Diwali'? Because on this day, Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Laxman after 14 years of exile. People welcomed them by lightening diyas. And so the festival is named as 'Diwali'. Now, what is the use of electric diyas? We're digressing from the essence of Diwali by trading earthen oil lamps with their electric plastic versions.

People Have Become More Responsible

This is the one change in the way we celebrate Diwali which happened for good. With increasing pollution, people are becoming aware about the environment. Lesser people opt for bursting crackers and hence do their bid to keep the air breathable. You can also spot people giving shelter to the stray animals for a night, in order to save them from crackers. With every passing year, we're moving one step closer to a complete eco-friendly Diwali and that is something that indeed calls for a celebration.

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The views expressed are the author's own.