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Go Green this Diwali. This has become the flavour of the season over the past several years across the board among NGOs, the media, social programmes, clubs and even the youth. But is it a temporary fad among the youngsters, a fashion statement of its kind? Or is it a commitment born out of a mission to save not only the environment but also the lives of all living beings?
Kirti Singh, regional service manager with a MNC in Bangalore, loves working on crafts during the spare time and also likes to get creative with drawing and painting. For Diwali, he makes exquisite paintings of flora and fauna on pots, with plants in them as a celebration of a green Diwali.
Mitali Goyal of Designer Kraft says, "Conventional hand-painted Diwali diyas, pot-shaped diyas, and tulsi diyas are much in demand. They add to the atmosphere of elegance." "Price is never an issue, it is the artistry involved in these items which makes them priceless," says Megha, who loves earthen showpieces.
Moms and dads of nursery kids of Tridha, in Vile Parle (East), Mumbai, got together for Diwali last year to teach their kids to respect the environment. "We showed each kid a seed, put the seed in a pot, gave it to them and told them to water it everyday and watch it grow into a plant magically," says one parent. Children of NCL School, Pune, celebrate a different Diwali by sharing clothes with the less privileged. Manisha Gutman, coordinator, Safe Festivals Campaign, Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, Pune, says, "An indirect but equally significant impact of Diwali on nature is due to the increased consumption. Since Diwali is also a celebration of abundance and wealth, many people believe that it is a good time to buy. Often, people go out and buy new items even when they don't need them. Advertisements and hoardings scream out to people offering sales extravaganzas, bargains and discounts, encouraging us to buy more and more!"
Bangalore, said to be the habitat of the most environment-concerned people in the country, has several outlets selling eco-friendly items for Diwali. Among these are earthen lamps or diyas, organic gifts like exotic herbal soaps and creams, special teas, gourmet coffee, spices, plants and flower seeds etc, the use of cloth or jute for wrapping gifts instead of paper or silver foil, and eco-friendly crackers made of recycled paper, with the sound confined within the decibel limit, as defined by the Pollution Board. These crackers produce paper fluffers and different colour lights instead of the sound of bursting. Diwali is the festival of lights. Diyas are lit to chase away the darkness of ignorance and welcome the bright light of enlightenment. It also signifies the triumph of the good over evil. It began when Lord Rama came back to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile in a forest. However, in our zest to celebrate the festival, there is a tendency to go overboard. Carelessness during celebrations can have a detrimental effect on the environment and can endanger our safety and the safety of our elders and our children.
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FESTIVAL FAD
Prachi Nakkar, a student
of the Academy of Performing Arts, New Jersey, is around 16. Two years
ago, she won the first prize at the Diwali Mela in New York in an essay
competition on environment organised by the Association of Indians in
the US. Shashi Prakash Agarwal, the founder of Techite.com, is a Class
XII student in Indore. Says she, "Earlier, the form of celebrating
Diwali was simple. People only lit diyas. But as technology
developed, people started using crackers that are not eco-friendly. The
earth is being constantly depleted of its natural green cover. With
thousands being spent on crackers, we are simply wasting energy, money
and time."
Besides these individual
approaches, small business ventures have mushroomed selling eco-friendly
items linked to Diwali. Pallavi Jain’s go-green mantra is to gift a
plant during Diwali to family and friends. Her two-year-old online shop Green
Somethings does brisk business during Diwali. "Last Diwali,
many people gifted plants instead of crackers and now I'm getting orders
for weddings, too," says Pallavi. "Talking green is not a fad,
it should be a way of life," she believes.
"I like these items
as they are colourful, artistic and give the interiors a refreshing
look. Eco-friendliness is another factor," she adds.
