Known as the festival of lights, Diwali or Deepavali signifies the triumph of light over darkness. People all across the country light diyas and lanterns to acknowledge the awareness of inner light that outshines the darkness. Drowning in the festive fervor people perform poojas, buy new clothes, decorate their homes, relish and exchange delicacies and burst crackers to celebrate Diwali in its full glory.

Unfortunately, while the zest and fervor associated with this festival bring joy, they definitely aren’t ideal for the environment. The festival of Diwali gives rise to a lot of pollution and causes an adverse impact on nature. But if we decide for ourselves, this year doesn’t have to be like that. The pandemic has already inculcated a lot of changes within us, it’s about time that we embrace the good ones with open hearts!

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Leaving all the jazz behind, let’s all try to inculcate some good changes to make this festival more about less pollution and more warmth. Below listed are a few of the many sustainable ways one can celebrate this joyous festival without being a burden to the environment!

SAY YES TO OIL LAMPS AND LED LIGHTS

Say buh-bye to those high-voltage decorative lights and bring in the traditional oil diyas and sustainable LED lights.

Not only it would add to the festive feels but will also help you do your bit towards nature. If it’s too late for you to step out of the house to buy a diya yourself, make one from chapati dough! Also, imagine how cool your pictures would look in the natural lighting?!

GOING EASY ON CRACKERS

Bursting crackers causes a lot of air as well as noise pollution. Not just the ecosystem, it also troubles our furry friends as they have no idea what’s going on. Yeah we know, cutting them out completely will kill the zest of the festive mood but one can always keep its usage in check. Try not to burst those smoke-inducing noisy crackers that do more harm than fun. If possible light a fewer phuljadis, some small crackers and call it a day. Deal?

ORGANIC RANGOLI

Rangoli powders are much-needed during the festival of lights so why not make one yourself instead of buying the synthetic, chemical-induced ones? Ditching the rocket science, mix rice flour, salt, and candy colours.

For more authentic colours, mix Haldi (turmeric) and Sindoor (Vermilion) to get that red and yellow colour. Simple, isn’t it?

DIY DÉCOR

Decorations are the fun element of this festival as it brings the family together and makes them realize that there are hidden party decorators amongst them.

One can always opt for yarn lanterns, shade candles and many other objects using materials lying around in the house. 100% creative and cost-effective.

VOCAL FOR LOCAL

Diwali is meant to be a prosperous festival for everyone, including the local artisans who work day and night only to make a few bucks in festive times. Instead of shopping in big marts, buy diyas, lanterns, garlands and other stuff from your local vendor. Also, try not to bargain as its their only time of the year to make some money. You never know you might be making somebody’s festival extra special!

SAY NO TO PLASTIC

The festival of Diwali gets everyone excited for shopping. So, while heading out for one, let’s make it a practice to take out cloth and jute bags instead of the plastic ones. Similarly, let’s exchange sweets in bio-degradable plates and banana leafs instead of plastic ones. It may help us do better for the environment by a bit.

REUSING YOUR OLD CLOTHES AND DONATING THE WEARABLE ONES

We know, buying new outfits for the festival is something we all look forward to. But just for one day out of the four, pull out that expensive lehenga or saree lying in your closet and restyle it for the occasion. Also to strike out the balance with excessive buying, try and donate a few of your good, wearable clothes to someone in need. Not only it will serve a sustainable purpose, but will also make you feel better about yourself.

ECO-FRIENDLY AND HANDMADE GIFTS

With Diwali being intimate this year as well, it only makes sense to have personalized gift ideas to express your love for your friends and family (and the environment!) Instead of circulating the same old soanpapdis, we suggest you make an exciting mithai hamper with homemade besan ke laddoos, chaklis, dry fruits and an unused box.

Apart from that, plants can be a very thoughtful gift this Diwali given the pollution and environmental situation in the county. They can also serve as a decor purpose, not just during Diwali but all year long.

THE THREE R’s – REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

We understand it’s not possible for every one of us to decorate our houses from scratch. Although, instead of buying new decorative items every year and increasing bio-hazard waste, we suggest you dig out last year’s props and put them to good use.

Celebrating the joyous festival and caring about the ecosystem can go hand in hand. It’s about time we realize this and start making a difference. What are your thoughts on this?

(Image Source- Google Archives)