Diwali pollution

Diwali is the festival of lights. It is eagerly awaited all year round. Houses, offices and shops are cleaned thoroughly around this time. People shop for new curtains, bed sheets and decorative items to re-decorate their place. The day is considered pious and many people reserve it for starting something new such as shifting to a new house, signing a business deal or finalizing and announcing wedding date.

A number of rituals form a part of this festival. Bursting fire crackers is one of them. While all the other traditions and rituals make this festival beautiful, burning fire crackers on this day gives it an ugly turn. This is the sad part of the Diwali celebration as it harms the environment and gives way to several health problems.

Massive amount of fire crackers are burnt on Diwali. The already polluted environment gets all the more polluted due to the smoke emitted by crackers thereby making it difficult to breathe. Bursting crackers also leads to many other health problems such as burning sensation in the eyes, redness of eyes and skin and lung infections. Besides, the noise pollution caused due to them can have an adverse affect especially on the new born babies, elderly people and animals.

We must say no to crackers to avoid pollution and its harmful after affects. We should also inspire those around us to refrain from bursting crackers.

The beauty of festivals is that they bring our near and dear ones closer. As a part of the Diwali celebration, people visit each other and exchange gifts. Many people host parties on this day to celebrate the festival with their relatives and friends. The celebration begins by offering prayers to Lord Ganesha and Laxmi. This is followed by lighting diyas and candles and illuminating the house. A round of card game adds to the festive mood.

We must take this festival as an opportunity to bond with our loved ones by spending quality time with them. Having dinner, cracking jokes and sitting in the company of our friends and family members can be far more enjoyable than bursting crackers and adding to the pollution.

Diwali should be the time to spread love and joy not pollution.

Diwali is a beautiful festival and we must retain its beauty and sanctity by saying no to crackers. We must all pledge to say no to crackers to save our environment. A pollution free Diwali can be the best thing.