MAHADEEP SINGH JAMWAL
Diwali celebrations dates back to ancient times in India and mentioned in Sanskrit texts such as the Padma Purana and Skanda Purana. There are significant variations in regional and rituals, depending upon the region, prayers are offered before one or more deities, with most common being Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth. In India’s eastern region, the people worship the goddess Kali instead of Lakshmi, and call the festival as ‘Kali Pujan’. The Diwali is considered to be the five days celebration and begins on the day Goddess of wealth and prosperity Lakshmi was born from the churning of the cosmic ocean of milk by the Devas (gods) and Asuras (demon), while the night of Diwali is the day Lakshmi chose Vishnu as her husband and they were married.
The reasons for celebrations of Diwali are innumerable and are linked to Lord Rama’s glorious and long awaited return to his kingdom of Ayodhya after his fourteen years of exile in the forests, it also commemorates Lord Krishna’s victory over the demon Narakaasura, who had kidnapped and terrorized the ‘Gopis’ of Varindavan. It is also celebrated as the day Bhagwan Vishnu married Maha Lakshmi. In general, Diwali signifies the triumph of good over the evil, of righteousness over treachery, of truth over falsehood, and of light over darkness. The religious significance of Diwali varies regionally within India, depending on the school of Hindu philosophy, regional, legends, and beliefs. Hindu across the word celebrates Diwali in honor of the return of Lord Rama. The time of Diwali is most festive and beautiful times of the year. Diwali literally means a row of lights. It is a time filled with light and love, a time when Indians all over the word rejoice. Diwali is heralded as the triumph of good over evil. Its celebrations include millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings. It also marks a major shopping period. One mind-boggling occasion that cuts across all boundaries – economic, cultural, racial and otherwise. Diwali is one of the most joyous and biggest festivals of the Hindu community. Not just Hindus, but people of other faiths love celebrating it too. The festival must be celebrated in an environment-friendly manner. But with the changing time the style of celebrating Diwali has also changed drastically. Now Diwali celebrations mean electric illumination and bursting noisy fire crackers. This change in the celebration style has imposed many negative effects on the environment. Some of the effects are excessive air pollution, excessive noise, pollution soil pollution and excessive power consumption. Besides these environmental effects, the modern style of celebrating Diwali also leads to various health hazards. Some of the major health hazards are; hearing loss, high blood pressure, sleeping disturbances, asthma, headache, irritability, skin allergies, and eye related problems, respiratory problems and many more. We celebrate Diwali in traditional ways but some new vision is required to be enshrined of celebrating it in an eco-friendly manner. Some of the ways we can look for are;
Every year we paint and touch up our homes. But no one pays attention to that garbage dump in the corner. It stinks to the high heaven and is a veritable house of all ills. Have it cleaned up and painted afresh. At least for some time, flies and mosquitoes will be less. Let us join hands this Diwali to clean the society as well as it will encourage positive atmosphere in neighborhood and double the joy of festivity.
Diwali is family time, but what about those elders and kids who have no families. So let us take out sometime this Diwali to meet them. There are several old age homes and orphanages dotting the cities. Let us take this opportunity to exchange our happiness with their gloominess and to put a smile on at least one such pretty face.
Every year, millions of rupees go down the drains in the buying and bursting of crackers during Diwali. Why can’t the same money be utilized for the uplift the poor? In India, innumerable people do not get even a morsel of food to eat. Instead of wasting money on crackers, the same money can be donated to an orphanage or a home for the aged.
We live in a society, where we have elders, senior citizen, people sufferings from heart problems, new born babies and our young generation preparing for competitive exams. This category of people requires a total calm and noise free pollution. But our high sound crackers which we start bursting many days earlier to the actual day and keep this fun even after Diwali adds to the miseries of this fraternity. Here it becomes the obligatory duty to avoid the bursting of crackers, which otherwise have brought many fatal injuries also.
Post Diwali pollution is always on an all-time high despite there being a ban on crackers. Say no to crackers and gift saplings to friends and relatives along with sweets. This effort will sweeten the celebrations of our loved ones. Plants are great for a pure and positive environment.