Diwali awaits bashing from liberals and seculars

The much anticipated festival of Diwali is only about two weeks away and the celebrations are on full swing. Every year several NGOs, individuals, social media and newspapers have the habit of slamming the huge celebrations, bursting of crackers as well as its repercussions on environment and society. I have been always in dilemma with such arbitrary and double-face responses. I could have been much satisfied if they would have raised their voice and contention in a much broader way by envisioning all sections of society. They should critisise and condemn the customs, rituals, celebrations, irrespective of culture and faith, which often leads to destruction of environment. I feel that much fanfare, huge expenditure and environment impact need to be considered before celebrating Diwali or any other festival. It is a scientific fact that crackers and fireworks cause noise and air pollution and dissemination of heavy metals into the Earth. If bursting of crackers is wrong then it must be applicable to all other practices, which certainly indulge into bursting of crackers which spoils the air we breathe and the water we drink. I condemn the selective outrage and double speak that particular section of public, society and media. I expect that the intellectuals will showcase a justified, balanced and rational narrative, who condemn or endorse the same events.

Dr Karan Singh Vinayak, chandigarh

shun use of single-use plastic    

Single-use plastic poses a serious threat to life on Earth. According to several reports, the developed nations are exporting tonnes of plastic to small and developing nations. It is really shameful that they do not keep their trash limited to their country. Finding ways and means to cut plastic is necessary because of the pollution caused by plastic. 

It also puts life of stray cattle at risk as the plastic bags swallowed by them chokes the movement of the food eaten by them. The air toxicity-level rises when the plastic is burnt. Similarly, many types of plastic are declared unsafe for keeping food items. It is our responsibility to shun use of single-use plastic. According to a report, 26 metric tonnes of plastic is generated in India daily, while 11 metric tonnes remain uncollected. It is a generation that thrives on packaged content and items as 43% of plastic is generated in the packaging industry. The spurt in the use of bottled drinking water has also aggravated the problem. India's annual plastic consumption is expected to rise to 20 million tonnes by 2020. Wiping off this catastrophic material from the Earth can solve half of the problems we are battling with. 

Jaspreet Singh, patiala

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