Celebrate Diwali with innovation, creativity and social harmony

All that is needed is an innovative and creative push to take this festival of lights to greater heights and celebrate its true spirit

- ABHAY VAIDYA

Bursting, noisy, ear-splitting firecrackers and contributing to the air-and-noise pollution is a nuisance that at least, thinking adults and grown-up children should discourage.

What should be encouraged instead is a grand display of colourful, dazzling fireworks in the sky which the entire community can enjoy. We see such community events happening on the 4th of July in the American skies on the occasion of Independence Day. Sydney, too, is famous for the majestic fireworks show on New Year's Eve. There's a picnic-like milieu on the streets and in the gardens as people gather to see the fireworks display at the appointed time.

Families with small children are certainly entitled to the enjoyment of lighting rockets, sparklers, flowerpots, and the discus (sudarshan chakra). But other than that, more and more people need to give up the louder-the-better mentality and desist from bursting noise-making firecrackers.

The biggest festival of India, Diwali embraces multiple celebrations, each one of which is accompanied with a deep message. A festival of lights, Diwali signifies the celebration of good over evil. The lighting of lamps also signifies the victory of knowledge over ignorance and the shedding of darkness with light.