Distrubing Diwali.

The last four mornings I have woken up to a dense fog outside my window and gone to bed listening to bombs and rockets blowing up all through the night.

Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil and people,primarily, are trying to light up the place since it is a new moon night. Everyone knows Ram, Lakshman and Sita's story!

I agree, it is a beautiful sight. Every balcony decorated with diyas or electrical lights that blink in a pattern; the dark night sky made colorful by tiny little rockets zooming into the emptiness and bursting into a perfect sparkly sphere; little boys running away from their just-lite-bombs... the little things go on...

This was my first diwali in Mumbai and to be honest, it was appalling! The noise was unbearable and the pollution the next morning was astounding! And when I say pollution, it doesn't just refer to the smog! It refers to all the trash on that was left for the old ladies working for the municipal cooperation to clean up! Little birds and dogs and cats were all affected physically and mentally I am sure! Many people are going to get hearing aids!

I am ashamed to admit that I did do a little bit to add to all of this. I did burst some crackers on the day of the celebration and I do feel bad. When I stopped and told my family very sarcastically that I've had enough and had made my contribution to the air pollution ( I didn't burst any bombs...) my little sister asked me, rhetorically, " What difference will one person make?" I didn't argue with her, but I do believe one person can make a difference.

It has been couple of years since I've been environment conscious. I am not crazy conscious but I try to make a difference with small little things. I do not throw trash on the road. I yell at every person I know who does. I actually go and pick up trash that my friends throw ( makes them real guilty :D ) . I get a lot of retorts but I stay strong.

I am very pleased to say I've been able to get many of my friends to stop doing the same. Initially they start doing it because they are scared of me yelling at them but then it becomes their habit and I am sure they too are spreading the contagious practice.

So getting back to diwali... I am also very happy to note that the pollution departments of the country say that 2009 had a quieter diwali than 2008 and that expensive-noise-free firecrackers are to take the blame for that. But considering how the noise was the last few days, I shudder to think how noisy it might have been last year!

Global Warming, Air Pollution, Ozone Depletion etc etc, be honest, people are bored. It doesn't matter to most of them. They have lives. Lives they think is more important than the planet itself! I don't know if the mayan predictions are true and we all will die in 2012 but I'd still like to try hard to save my little home in the universe. Do your bit!

I don't have to write what to do. You all know it!
Recycle, reuse and reduce!
:)