Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Modern Diwali' that was published in Newsband

Modern Diwali

NASA, the National Space Agency of the U.S., released a black and white satellite imagery of Indian Diwali night 2012. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the Suomi NPP satellite captured this night-time view of southern Asia. The image is based on data collected by the VIIRS ‘day- night band’, which detects light in a range of wavelengths from green to near-infrared. The image has been brightened to make the city lights easier to distinguish. NASA said most of the bright areas in the imagery released by it are cities and towns in India. “In reality, any extra light produced during Diwali is so subtle that it is likely imperceptible when observed from space,” NASA said.

India celebrates 151 festivals in a year. That’s a huge number. Out of which, Diwali is the most famous and largely celebrated holiday in India. It signifies the victory of good over evil.

Diwali was traditionally celebrated with earthen diyas and distribution of sweets to friends and family. But today it involves bursting of firecrackers, suffocating smoke, ear-tearing noises, never-ending garbage and everlasting pollution.

One of the major concerns of a developing nation like us is environmental pollution. On Diwali, pollution just shoots up like a rocket (it goes up by 30%). Also the noise pollution it creates cannot be overlooked, fireworks can create 140 decibels of noise (noise at 85 decibels or above can damage hearing). Diwali is a nightmare for dogs and other animals who get scared of loud sounds (dogs can hear 4 times more than us, imagine the pain and agony).

The real problem comes after the festival. The roads are filled with bits of paper and plastic. Approximately 4,000 additional metric tonnes of garbage are released in Delhi alone, and twice the amount in Mumbai.

Another disturbing fact is that more than 80 million children are employed in the firework industry around the world; majority being in India. Asthma and TB is prevalent among 90 per cent of them who are involved in gun powder filling and are directly in contact with the chemical ingredients of crackers. So buying fireworks indirectly contributes to child labour.

We are the educated ‘lot’ of the society and yet we are responsible for encouraging such practices. Buying crackers is an utter waste of money and is harmful for the environment too. Nowadays, Diwali is not a simple festival of new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness, rather it has become more of a show of one’s own status. It is not an event of ‘coming together’ of family and friends only, it is also a pompous show.