Safe and pollution free diwali celebration
Answers
Civil society groups are coming together all over the country to campaign for a green Diwali and how to celebrate Diwali that is pollution free. The Diwali ban could be the harbinger of a movement against the noise pollution and air contamination unleashed by ear shattering firecrackers. Diwali, in the traditional sense, has little to do with myriad fireworks. Here are 10 green Diwali ideas and pollution free festival of lights and how to celebrate Diwali without crackers.
1) Instead of polluting the environment, you can eschew the firecrackers and celebrate a really “Green Diwali”. It can be an eco-friendly affair this year. Don’t use electric lights. Instead, go for small earthen lamps and candles. It would reduce electricity consumption. Flickering lamps look better too. Go for LED lights if there is has to be electric illumination (they use 80% less energy than regular lights) to celebrate pollution free Diwali.
2) Although crackers are banned in Delhi, people in other places could go for environment-friendly ones that are considered less polluting than others. Better still, give firecrackers a complete miss this Diwali.
3) Use natural colors rather than chemical colors and use natural ingredients such as rice powder (white); pulses or turmeric (yellow); cloves or cinnamon (brown); cardamom or fennel (green)
4) Use fresh flowers such as marigold, jasmine, roses and lilies for decoration to suit the festive ambience in place of gaudy streamers and electric lights.
5) Use eco-friendly paint for your homes to celebrate pollution free Diwali.
6) Use organic incense sticks as well as fresh flowers. Stay away from synthetic room fresheners.
7) Eschew commercial sweets; they have too much artificial color and sugar. Make your own sweets such as Laddoos, Barfi, Kheer, Gajar ka halwa using natural items such as milk, coconut, jaggery, dry fruits, etc. They will be both unadulterated and nutritious.
8) Don’t buy wrapping paper for gifts and stop trees from getting cut. Use painted newspaper, pieces of cloth, etc. instead.
9) Try making your own Diwali cards. If you don’t fancy making them, go the technology way. Just tweet, message on Facebook or SMS your wishes or WhatsApp them.
10) Create awareness about the environment, organize nature walks and talks on the topic. You could also host a marathon on the subject to create awareness to celebrate pollution free Diwali
Hope it helps : )
Diwali – the festival of lights. The origin of this festival was to light up every dark corner, streets and houses. Then, we added crackers and sweets to the celebrations and our excitement doubled with phuljhadis and patakha bombs and sutli bombs.
The adrenalin rush, the heights of excitement while bursting crackers had no comparison. From elderly to kids, we all indulged in this cracker-full Diwali. Deepawali was incomplete without lights, crackers & sweets.
This went on for years and nobody ever thought about pollution caused by crackers, which filled the air with sulphur dioxide & carbon monoxide. Also, the noise from the crackers not only harms human ears but also scares animals and birds. Just for those 2 – 3 hours of excitement we humans create so much havoc that is beyond repair and causes so much harm to man and animals. It has come to such an extent that our children are suffering due to the pollution and the environment, the animals and birds are crying for help. Following are ways to celebrate this festival of lights and spread the cheer not pollution:
1. Make Diwali Treats at home – Instead of spending thousands and thousands of rupees in sweets and chocolates and circulating them to friends and relatives, this year for a change make sweets at home and involve children and family members in making these treats. There are many delectable sweets which are easy to make without using tons of sugar and added artificial flavours. For example – date ladoos, dates and nut kheer, kalakand, badaam barfi, nariyal ladoos, chocolate ladoos and many more. Above all when the entire family comes together to make delicious sweets, there is so much bonding that the festive spirits just gets enhanced.
2. Spend time in decorating the house – Children love taking responsibilities of decorating with paper art, rangoli, flower rangoli, diyas and fairy lights. When they put in so much effort and they see the house all beautiful and lit up, the experience itself is so fulfilling.
3. Throw a house party – get the family busy in organizing a Diwali party. Engage the guests with dance, music, food, games and antakshari. Make all the noise amongst yourself. Trust me, the adrenaline rush in enjoying with family and friends is way beyond what you get from crackers. Kids will have company and they will get super busy with the guests and this will add to all his good memories.
4. Invest your money in thoughtful gifts – In this digital age, we miss the touch and feel of good thoughtful gifts. Instead of giving gifts which do not add value to the receiver, let’s attempt to give personalized gifts to each other that will always be special. For example, gifting a pen drive with songs, shayari, for your family /friends will be so touching. Children can record a dance, act, joke, enact a comedy scene and dedicate it to their loved ones.
Handmade cards are beautiful to give as gifts especially when kids make it. If nothing works out just gift a potted plant and bring in the greenery to the planet.
5. Share a smile with the needy –This year apart from spending time with your near and dear ones, do something special for the poor. We can begin this with our house helps. Invite them to your celebration, make them a part of the festivities. The smile that you will share with them will be so special. Kids will also see and learn the compassion that you are showing and will practice that virtue in future.
6. Green Crackers – If the kids still insist on bursting crackers, create some fun crackers at home. Fill your room with balloons and burst them with incense sticks. Get paper envelopes and burst them with hands. These fun ways of making noises are way louder than the crackers. Kids will enjoy them thoroughly. Let’s celebrate real Diwali by spreading happiness, not pollution.