Diwali: Festival of lights or smog?

Delhi is covered in smog with pollution levels 20 per cent higher than the average Delhi pollution levels. It makes me wonder how long it’ll take before other states will have to meet a similar fate. People need nature. Nature does not need people.

I had hoped for a noise-less Diwali. It’s not really a thankful sight to watch smoke rising and forming dark clouds in the sky. But the world doesn’t cater to my preferences, in the same way that we don’t seem to be catering to mother earth and ourselves. Now, here’s where we’ve failed ourselves as a society, as citizens, and as human beings. We’ve used all kinds of means to advocate against the unnecessary creation of pollution. We’ve taught children in schools, used media tactics, the government has issued notices, there’s a major uproar on social media, however, we’ve chosen to push all of that aside and cater to our self-indulgences. We’re growing up with lack of pure, clean air and a lack of culpability.

When you burst crackers or even buy your firecrackers for kids, you perpetuate a belief that you won’t be held accountable for the consequences. Not only are you perpetuating a culture of callousness towards the environment and atmospheric degradation, but also contributing to a frivolous increase in consumerism, to a greater production of waste for which we’ve run out of places to dump it in. It doesn’t end there.Apart from the environmental concerns, the economic, social and political aspects are important as well. Buying firecrackers directly contributes to the creation and perpetuation of a modern day feudal system based on the exploitation of under age and underpaid labour. These kids are devoid of basic human rights, basic education, and appropriate working conditions, or minimum wages. If you spent your money on firecrackers, you contributed to the system that thrives on their exploitation and subsequent denial of education and a childhood. Itdefinitely brings into question the quality of your education.

Is now a moment of a noisy epidemic of lung cancer? No, it’s not. Does walking around in suits save us from our very own atmosphere seem like a cool Winter-Fall fashion trend?

No. It doesn’t appeal to my fashion sense.

You can argue as much as you want about the cultural and religious relevance of firecrackers, and I will continue to refute by saying that Lord Ram didn’t burst a ‘Sutli bomb’ to announce his arrival. I’d suggest you take a deep breath, pause, and think, but if you’re in Delhi, I wouldn’t suggest you take a deep breath! I’d really hoped the last time someone killed people through gas was at the concentration camps during Hitler’s rule.

(Priyanka Paul is an 18-year-old illustrator and a poet who uses her art to express her opinion on most things.)