My maid said she was late for work as she had an emergency at home. It turned out that she had to rush her eight-year old to hospital after she hurt herself playing with crackers. One of her eyes seemed to have had an injury; tests were being done.
Only after a 24-hour wait did the ophthalmologist found her to be out of danger. The family had to wait on edge to know the verdict. This Deepavali, the real celebration for the family would come from the fact that the child’s vision was not endangered.
Deepavali in its quintessence is a festival of lights. Deepa translates as light and vali is a row. A row of lights it is. There sure are many ways to celebrate it. It means different things to different families, especially in a country that is so diverse in terms of culture and ethnicity. Fire-crackers with their resounding glory do contribute to excitement. They symbolise the driving away of evil spirits. In the north it denotes the return of Lord Rama from 14-year exile, while in the south it is about Lord Krishna slaying Narakasura.
Notwithstanding the mythology, it’s time we realised how fire-crackers could cause festive recklessness. Keeping decibel levels low and checking pollution, are common suggestions. Not many of us, though, spare a thought about fellow living creatures on the planet.
We often ape the West for silly things. Nevertheless, if there is something we could imbibe from the West and make our celebration a delightful experience, it would be using fire-crackers sensibly.
Fire-crackers are equally popular in the West; just that they are used in controlled conditions so that lives are not endangered. Towns usually have a common area earmarked for the purpose to avoid the risk of getting hurt by a random cracker that is thrown up in the air on the street.
Not many realise the havoc that uncontrolled fire-cracker bursting sessions could cause. Fire-crackers are just one of the many ways to celebrate this festival. Envision a lovely row of lamps, beckoning Goddess Lakshmi home.
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