Crackers Or No Crackers: How Is Your Diwali Going To Be Like?

Diwali celebration 2021: As kids, most of us loved to watch the sparkles magically come out of the triangle-shaped anars or get the adrenaline rush from holding a chocolate bomb wrapped in shiny materials and waiting for it to blast with a thud. The 'pataka bursting time' after the completion of Lakshmi puja (for most of north India) or Kali Puja (for east India) was a time of our lives. We were unsuspecting and as we grew up we became more aware about the harmful effects of the crackers. Climate change became more real than a faraway threat of doomsday.

Recently with the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing concern over climate change, the Calcutta High Court decided to ban the sale of firecrackers which was later set aside by the Supreme Court of India, who allowed the sale of green firecrackers in places with 'good' or 'medium' air quality. The Pollution Control Board of India usually keeps track of this and Delhi got a score of 303 which is worst in terms of air quality before the Diwali celebration.

Keeping that in mind, SheThePeople spoke to a bunch of women in their 20s about whether they are team firecrackers or will be avoiding it this year. Here is what they have to say:

Ananya Shankar, a working woman from Chennai said that bursting a firecracker for her is a strict no. She has a dog at home and "what about the stray dogs on the street?" she said while adding that it's been years that she stopped bursting crackers.

Loud noises give a nervous breakdown to dogs and cats, and the ones who prowl the streets are the worst affected. According to Gowri Vandana from the Association for Animal Shelter and Rescue Aid, "Diwali is the most traumatic period for animals. While we cannot provide shelter for all animals, we can at least spread awareness and appeal to the people to celebrate this festival of lights with lights and not firecrackers. We celebrate it by lighting lamps and respect the lives of the animals."

Not just the animals, Sreya Deb, a working professional from Kolkata never felt inclined towards bursting crackers for some ten years now. She does not want to contribute to air and noise pollution. "I remember how difficult music classes used to be with all the racket right outside. But over the years reasons started piling up," Deb said.

The news of street accidents and hospitals dealing with burn patients sucked the fun out of bursting crackers for her. So she made an active effort to not indulge in them at all.

Anshita Vijay, a student from Kolkata agrees with Deb, "If we can avoid contributing to the climate crisis, why not do it?" said Anshita Vijay who has not burnt firecrackers for four years now.

Also, burns take Neelanjana Mondal back to the day when a firecracker burst in her hand, burning a part of it. She no longer takes part in burning crackers and will not do so this year too.

Sanjana Deshpande was anyway afraid of the loud noises by the crackers but she left it all together when she was 13 and came across the "kind of things that goes into the firecracker industry like the underage children working, risk factors involved for even adults as there is no safety gear, exploitation of labour and the list just goes on."

Along with these issues, Namrata Ganguly, a journalist, used to have fun bursting crackers in a big group but as people grew old, many landed jobs and moved to other cities. Coming back on Diwali was not always an option. Even this year, her Diwali will only be about diyas and lights. "I started preferring a more peaceful Diwali," she said.

Some of us feel just silly bursting crackers after high school completion. Ratan Priya, sub-editor at SheThePeople too stopped bursting crackers after high school as the firecrackers were expensive and did not feel worth it after growing up. Although she recalls her Diwali as a kid and how her mother used to look the happiest when she is bursting crackers. "She taught us to jump when Chakri starts rolling," said Priya.

Most of us have our reasons for bursting green crackers or not, what are your plans for Diwali?

Suggested Reading:

Ditch The Cracker, Eat An Extra Sweet: 5 Ways To Celebrate An Eco-Friendly Diwali

This Diwali Start A Self Love Journey: You Are Deserving!

Diwali Snacks Are Yummy, But Are They Worth The Labour That Goes Into Making Them?

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