The Green Diwali: Lighting a Path for a Healthier Tomorrow!

A very very happy Diwali to everyone, and to all of your families!! I wish you all infinite happiness, great health, and an awesome day and year ahead! Today, as we decorate our houses, spend time with the ones that are the diyas of our hearts, and share love, laughter and joy wherever we go, there are so many traditions we do that have forged this day over centuries. Lighting diyas, rangolis, sharing sweets and gifts, playing games, pooja, and the fieriest of them all - firecrackers.

Firecrackers weren't originally part of the traditional Diwali celebration, and instead, diyas and lamps were lighted in tradition, due to their symbolism, representing the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. This practice also grew centuries ago from lighting lamps to celebrate Lord Rama's return, emblazoning the streets with hope and joy.

Firecrackers were introduced to India around the 14th century through traders and travelers who brought gunpowder from China. Initially, their use was restricted to royal courts for warfare and grand celebrations. But, in India, post independence, it started becoming much more common for large scale public celebrations.

The large-scale, commercial manufacture and mass usage of crackers grew significantly in the 1900s with rapid industrialization and urban festivals.

In the last century, they have cemented themselves as one of the iconic practices in Diwali celebrations, even though they never were before.

And sadly, we never get to experience the awesome winters our parents used to have when they were young, due to a chamber of smog that is created around Diwali. Firecrackers heavily contribute to this smog by releasing harmful pollutants like fine particulate matter into the atmosphere, which combine with air particles and get trapped by weather conditions, creating a thick layer close to the ground. And with over a billion people bursting firecrackers to celebrate - that's a lot of pollution.

And the saddest part is, our communities' loving, innocent beings, the diyas that never fade - our dogs and all animals - face a lot of fear and discomfort with loud firecracker noises deafening their ears. They make sure we sleep safe each day, and it is our responsibility to make sure they do too.

But the amazing thing is, when we keep the planet in mind and opt for sustainable choices, we certainly don't miss out on the joy and celebration that keeps our spirits alive, but can increase it through so many ways!!

Firstly, we can SAY NO TO FIRECRACKERS, and use clay diyas to lighten up our houses! Clay diyas are biodegradable, and can decompose naturally into the soil (making them zero waste), as well as support local artisans and creators! Firecrackers emit about 150 joules of energy, whereas these diyas can still produce upto a 100 joules, all around our houses! Through natural diyas, we can truly make Diwali the festival of lights, not smoke, and encourage creation, happiness, and spread joy all around!

Secondly, we can SAY NO TO FIRECRACKERS, and use LED lights to decorate our houses. Since plastic lights are usually disposed of after usage, they contribute a lot to our city's landfill waste. LEDs have an extremely long life, and, as they are reusable each Diwali, mitigate a lot of plastic waste production - while conserving electricity!!

And lastly, we can SAY NO TO FIRECRACKERS, and keep the true esscence of Diwali alive with the ones we love most. We can share meals together, listen to music, decorate with sustainable materials, share homemade sweets and plant saplings. We can talk, play, share laughter and joy, because that is what Diwali is truly about.

With these small changes we can implement in our celebration, I'm sure we can keep what this festival truly means alive. Togetherness, care, joy - empathy for all living beings. Because together, we can illuminate not the sky with smoke - but homes and hearts with kindness and happiness forever, and contribute to, for all of our friends, parents, grandparents, all animals and living beings - a greener tomorrow!!