Why do all festivals have to be noisy and polluting to the environment? Why is it that few of us are left with a foul taste by the time it ends and why do I dread whenever a new festival is around the corner?
There might be just a few who would approve of my questions. At a time when the nation is getting election ready, many, infact millions are busy celebrating the festival of colours while a few sit at home awaiting a closure to all the sound and black that will remain.
How come all festivals that were meant to signify victory of good over evil and the coming of a new season or arrival of harvesting become such meaningless occasions when tempers and adrenalin runs high and the wild prevails.
Times when festivals were a means to unite the people of the nation are long gone, the essence drained and all that remains is the wasteful.
Let us tabulate the list of seemingly increasing bad that such occasions have seem to signify: widespread noise pollution in the form of hooting and blaring music, pollution to the environment, air and water pollution, millions of gallons of water wasted at times when water tables are fast depleting and the impact it has over the other inhabitants that also share space on this planet.
Has God got it all wrong, making us the intelligent species has taken a toll on the rest that is and which soon will be, that was.
Shouldn't we as a society rise and make better of such wonderful festivals our ancestors enriched our lives with, don't we owe it to them and to the world at large to contribute to making this place better, better for ourselves and for the generations to come.
Why don't we redesign these wonderful festivals to signify new age reforms needed in every sphere such as visit an old age home with one's family and pass the money allocated for wasteful spends on such occasions to the needy, visit an NGO of choice along with the family to sensitize our young ones, even a whole housing society can decide to skip such celebrations and use the budgeted money to help better lives, do something positive to the environment, plant trees, even a simple visit to the zoo will suffice, adopt an animal there, visit forgotten friends, aging relatives, work one day at an NGO, spread happiness and showcase your skills. Even the local government bodies can make use of such days to organize events to sponsor various beautiful development plans.
It is time that people as a whole rise and make a difference.
To begin with, please stop treating public places as garbage, stop littering, stop playing loud music at sites you are visiting, rather use head phones, infact just stop, pause for a while check your behavior, question yourself as to whether you would behave the same way in your home...then proceed with utmost care.
All this may sound a little preachy but I felt it is time that I too stop being angry about everything and act. I think writing shall help change my Indian brethren.
Happy Glorious India!
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