In 2011, Jai Aswani attended a workshop which opened his eyes to what crackers could do to the environment. He told his mother Varsha Awani he would want to do something about this. That Deepavali, his mother said that if he did not burst crackers, he would not just help reduce pollution but also get a present from her.
Both Jai and his brother Preet (who are now 14 and 10 years old respectively) did not burst crackers at all. The brothers did not stop there, but started a campaign, ‘Say No To Crackers’, in which people take a pledge to not burst crackers during Deepavali.
Every year, six weeks before Deepavali, Jai and Preet, students of Sindhi Model Senior Secondary School, Kellys, start their campaign.
They approach people asking them to refrain from bursting crackers.
“When my mother and brother first explained the concept to me, I told my friends about it and asked them to join me. They refused, because for them, Deepavali is all about bursting crackers,” says Preet, who was just five years old then. “But I tried not to get discouraged and kept approaching them until a few pledged that they would avoid bursting crackers.”
Jai agrees that at first it was difficult to make people to even listen to them, let alone get them to take a pledge. But things started taking a turn for the better after he joined Kilpauk Striders, a chapter of Chennai Runners.
“The Striders are a group of about 200 people who were impressed when they heard of Jai’s initiative. They helped us a lot in spreading the word,” says Varsha. As a result, this year, the pledge has more than 3,000 signatories.
Five years ago, Jai and Preet went from door to door at apartment complexes, enlisting support for their campaign. To reach more people, they also started visiting rallies and clean-up drives.
“This year, we visited the Car Free Sundays event at Elliot Beach in Besant Nagar and also visited many schools and social clubs to give talks. In fact, whoever we talk to, be it our teachers or strangers, they motivate us to take this campaign forward,” says Jai.
The brothers’ initiative has earned the support and encouragement of many groups in the city. For instance, the Marina Runners has chosen Jai as the official face of Marina Runners for 2017. By virtue of his work, Jai has earned a place as a finalist in the Young Leaders Awards by Deepa Athreya.
But Jai and Preet believe there is a long way to go.
They are now encouraging people to completely abstain from bursting crackers, not just during Deepavali but also during other festivities.
“We are just creating awareness. We’re just doing our part in saving the environment,” says Jai.
