Is A Green Diwali Possible?

Indians don’t easily take to modifying individual behaviour to bring about civic order

- Santosh Desai

Every year, as Diwali approaches, a familiar pattern can be seen. Courts and governments move to ban firecrackers, some people heave a sigh of relief while others get indignant about a perceived assault on Hindu traditions. Eventually, crackers are burst, a pall of dense and noxious fog occupies the sky overhead, and the winter pollution begins its period of residence in our lives and lungs.

To be fair, things have changed a little. For one, the run-up to the festival, which in earlier days was its own festival of gradually escalating noise, is now far more subdued. The day itself is another matter, but even there, there is a discernible drop in the intensity with which our eardrums are attacked.

So, can we even hope for a clean and green Diwali? The first question that arises is whether that is at all deemed desirable in the first place? After all, aren’t crackers an integral part of Diwali?