Friday, November 05, 2010

'Happy' Diwali

Have been exchanging Diwali wishes since the last few days. But that day has arrived where one can think of hiding under the bed in a room, whose doors and windows have been tightly latched from the inside. This is a strategy of saving myself from inhaling tonnes of smoke released by Diwali crackers without even knowing 'how much' actually went inside. Earlier it was only the birds, asthmatics, or the old and ailing who couldn't bear smoke and noise from crackers. I am neither a harmless bird, nor an asthmatic or an ailing person (not in any way that I know of), but I cannot seem to tolerate the warm, yet poisonous, blanket of smoke that'll gradually wrap me up from the inside tonight, especially gripping the lungs to reduce their oxygen breathing capacity...

Was chatting with a friend from Maharashtra who said that her state had just witnessed a string of 'festivals of pollution' like Ganapati, Navaratri and Dussehra, where the river bodies choked. But, one can conveniently close ones eyes to that and pretend that those are 'just far-away rivers'. However, aquatic plants and animals would disagree as rivers comprise their complete life source so they cannot take their own gagging lightly. Maybe if living creatures of water could speak with living creatures of the land, and in a language they understood, maybe the latter could have considered finding ecologically healthier ways of appeasing-Gods-at-any-cost. I don't think any 'real' Gods would appreciate so much killing to boost their own ego annually, i.e. just once a year.
   
Anyway, between the two realities i.e. river choking and subsequent dying of aquatic life in Maharashtra and direct, almost inevitable, human-lung-choking during Diwali in Delhi, the latter seemed like a much more immediate concern for me. Just when I was convinced about the importance of what I was thinking, Aruna Roy's group Diwali message beeped on the mobile phone. It said: "Join us on 5th November at 5pm at Statue Circle, Jaipur, with unlit diyas to celebrate kali diwali and demand payment of minimum wages in MNREGA."

5 comments:

  1. Read your blog. It's sad of course and these are real, hard facts. Wish we would have a better world tommorrow...

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  2. Agree totally here. Almost every feast is like that: fool of smoke creating huge Co2 emissions not only from burning of fire crackers of all the varieties and volumes but also energy used in manufacturing there fires for fun and celebrations. My village of Siolim celebrates festival of boats - Sao Joao - and this year on 24th June it ended with 30 minutes of firework in market place! What a waste! Festivals has turned completely warped after being hijacked by market and industry vested interests.

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  3. Liked what you wrote!.. Pulkit (my husband) wrote a similar blog recently - http://pulzinponderland.wordpress.com/

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  4. your post reminds me of an animated movie where a big ship like titanic got drowned in a deep blue sea.The water bodies capture the human being and take revenge by making them clean the sea.water bodies continue to poke their butts with their ferocious trisul until the entire garbage is removed from the base of the sea....

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  5. 'Kali Diwali' - Aptly put!

    I said something very similar on my blog: 'Bulbs (or diyas) are best lit inside the brain, not outside the house!'

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