Not Bursting Crackers Won't Cure Our Pollution Woes. Long term Change In Lifestyle Will

Although most of the time I find Sadhguru pedantic and condescending, this Diwali, he spread out a logical message. He said that children should be allowed to burst crackers and that air pollution should not be stated as the reason to take away the “joy” of children. Rather, the spiritual leader states an alternative to control the pollution which is to walk to our offices for at least three days.

Many states, especially Delhi, have imposed a ban on bursting crackers. I still remember how foggy and irritating it used to get to walk out of my flat in Delhi after Diwali. I used to fall sick and became a patient of allergic rhinitis. So it cannot be ignored that bursting crackers does increase the pollution in the air and worsens the air quality index. But then is it a logical decision to completely ban burning crackers? Is it right to pull out the essence from the Diwali festival? Is the pollution an outcome of bursting crackers alone? Or is there a long background to it?

While I am still writing, I can see children, of different religions, frolicking together and firing their small cracker guns. From a week before Diwali, children of my street start bursting small crackers reminding us that Diwali is approaching. Then imagine how is it right to pull their crackers and guns away and give them a lecture on climate change and pollution?

Before you get me wrong, let me come to the point. I am not saying that one should not be concerned about pollution during Diwali. But what we need to retrospect and think that pollution is not the result of burning crackers alone. It is there because we don’t change our daily lifestyles. In my town in Bihar, plastic is still used to pack things despite being banned. Is it a hidden fact how pollution is exacerbated due to plastic? I see people spitting around without thinking about how they are contributing to pollution. Moreover, I have also seen people throwing garbage next to the dustbins and the dustbins being full with flies hovering over them as no one is around to clean them. Even today, people buy n number of cars just because they have money rather than using public transport, cycling or walking. Furthermore, wastage of water is another primary concern that we need to consider. Despite lessons in schools, how many of us practise rainwater harvesting, or turning off the tap while brushing? How many of us follow the process of consuming, reusing and recycling?

Greta Thunberg has been in news constantly for her initiative to protect the world from climate change. The student’s movement she initiated spread across India too as Ridhima Pandey and Licypriya Kangujam began to stir the discussion of protecting the environment in India. But how often do leaders listen to these climate activists? How often are their suggestions taken into account?

So wouldn’t it be hypocritical if we become actively involved in saving the environment only during Diwali? If we don’t bring a healthy change in our daily lifestyle, how can not burning crackers alone save our environment? When are we going to understand that pollution is a big issue that spreads across the year and not just on Diwali? Just picture this: you didn't burst crackers on Diwali but the next day you went back to using plastics, driving pollution-causing vehicles and throwing waste in open. Did you really do your part in saving the environment? Is saving the environment only about not bursting crackers in Diwali? Remember that smog forms during Diwali because of the air pollutants from cars and industries that are already present in the air. So the gases released from crackers combine with the existing air pollutants and form smog. So do we need more reasons to understand that air pollution is not just because of crackers but because of our lifestyle too?

As Neha Shrestha, the founder of All Living Things told ">SheThePeople, "(Lack of consciousness towards environment) completely stems from the lack of responsibility. People don't feel that it is their personal responsibility. Like when you look at garbage, even if you see garbage on the road, nobody does anything about it...Also sometimes people are like someone's already throwing garbage so it is okay to add litter to it. But nobody really understands it on a personal level that it's more your personal responsibility tat the responsibility of all of us as a group. It starts with yourself."

Not burning crackers is not the only solution to the pollution that has become a part of our life. Crackers have always been the most exciting part of Diwali. So rather than taking away the enthusiasm of the festival, shouldn’t we keep our environment-friendly attitude alive throughout the year? Saving ">environment is not just about a day but about every day. Surely we can reduce the number of crackers we burn or switch to eco-friendly crackers. But banning it completely might not be a logical solution. Again I am not trying to dictate your choices. If it is your choice to not burst crackers, well and good. But don’t judge those who do.

Views expressed are the author's own.