Diwali, or Deepavali, means many things to many people but, most of all, it symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil. And since it also marks the return of Ram and Sita to their kingdom, some would like to see it celebrated in the new Ayodhya temple with a special show of lights.
Those tending towards religious orthodoxy, especially in the south, mark the occasion of Deepavali with certain rituals before swinging into the mood and spirit of it while they would like to believe that the moderns celebrate Diwali with a bonhomie that is almost bacchanalian.
The two festivals are the same traditionally celebrated with the bursting of firecrackers and setting off of colourful fireworks, except that the price of modern living in the metros is already being paid with the toll taken on everyone’s health thanks to pollution.
A ban on loud fireworks that test the decibel levels and the incendiary bombs that represent a threat to life and limb makes sense considering how bad the air has gotten. It is another matter that the politicians and their acolytes always seem exempt from all rules as even their release from custody, albeit on bail, is thought of as an occasion to be celebrated with the loudest of serial firecrackers.
However well-intentioned this non-discriminatory ban is, seeing as it covers many festivals including the New Year of the Gregorian calendar, it is the norm in India to think of rules and regulations as fit only for the statute book. But some states do try to educate the people about green crackers and the younger generations seem to have let the message sink in.
While collective fireworks displays are thought to be better than individuals letting off the incendiaries in a haphazard manner, they can be disastrous too as the Kasargod temple event demonstrated in Kerala. But then safety is another principle that is not rigorously served in a populous country. Everyone knows a safe Diwali best celebrates the mood of how far we have come from the days of “tortoise” growth rates of the economy to that of a more modern nation.
