Crackers have to be a BIG NO!
Here’s hoping each of us had a happy festive season! My name is Kabir Bansal. I’m 13 years old and I’m very passionate about animals and the environment. The festive season started, and like every year, we all geared up for a great Diwali and these celebratory days. Our parents wanted us to have a glimpse of the enriching culture and celebration associated with the festival from their childhood, but with the worsening air quality, year after year, it was heartening to see that a lot of us had a rethink of what the real essence of the festival is and adapted and evolved in our way of celebrating it. After all, though we children love to learn about our culture, we would also want to be healthy, and continue to celebrate our festivals for many years to come. Come winter, and we are engulfed in a chamber of smog. My mother always shares with me how beautiful winter was when she was in school, how they would enjoy the warm winter sun, have picnics, and be outdoors, but in today’s times, as soon as monsoons end and Oct sets in, we children can’t go out to play, have to wear masks, and develop so many respiratory infections, which weaken our immune system as well.
Yes, there are many other factors and reasons for the smog and pollution: construction, waste burning, vehicular traffic, loose dust in our city, and industrialisation. But construction will continue with more homes and more flyovers. With the growth of any city, waste will be generated in our homes and factories, but we must adopt green practices to curb these as well. We need to follow construction norms, follow waste segregation practices, and reduce waste that reaches landfills by reducing single-use, recycling items, and also demand our civic bodies avoid dumping waste, and enforce strict punishment for waste burning.
Bursting firecrackers have been symbolic and an integral part of Diwali for so many generations, and many of our parents indulged in crackers; however, with the smoke chamber that Delhi NCR is in today’s times, it is imperative to celebrate Diwali differently and still maintain its true spirit, with us children getting to know the stories behind our festival, the puja, houses being beautifully lit, being with family, and lighting diyas at home on Diwali.
Crackers have to be a BIG NO!
We really need to stop and think about the torment that animals, birds, etc., face during this time with all the smoke and noise. So many of us are forced to stay indoors rather than go and meet loved ones due to the poor air quality, instead sitting home with nebulizers, myself being one of them. As a 13-year-old, I would want to have a healthy childhood and future for all my friends, and a healthy and illness-free life for my grandparents and other senior citizens.
On behalf of all of them, my deepest gratitude to everyone who thought of the wellbeing of the community, our animals and birds, and your effort to bring about this change.
At the same time, on behalf of all of them, also a sincere plea to everyone to have a peaceful and noise-free Diwali, which all species can enjoy together and without causing any harm to the environment from next year on.
Thank you so much for your time reading this. And hope together we can make a difference for the world we all live in.
