Silent night, holy night!

TNN / Nov 13, 2007, 00:57 IST

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This Diwali, many Amdavadis turned 'model citizens' as they celebrated the festival of lights minus the flash and noise.

AHMEDABAD: This Diwali, many Amdavadis turned 'model citizens' as they celebrated the festival of lights minus the flash and noise.
In Sabarmati, Canada-returned Vyas sisters, Sita, 11, and Purvi, 13, students of St Ann's School, practised the lessons taught in school about firecrackers causing air and noise pollution and completely shunned bursting crackers this Diwali.
Their sensitivity towards the asthmatic condition of their grandmother that gets triggered by the fumes emitted from the crackers played a pivotal role in their mature decision.
"We know that bursting crackers causes such agony to asthmatic patients and harm to the environment. We did not want to be party to this crime," Purvi told TOI. The Vyas sisters were joined by 25-year- old Parth Bhatt and his gang of twelve friends who willingly decided not to burn a single cracker this year.

"All of us took a pledge not to burn a single firecracker this year to save the environment. This is our conscious decision not to pollute the environment, as this is ultimately going to affect the humans. We also tried to spread the message of celebrating Diwali with a human touch," Parth said. Meanwhile, there were other people who celebrated Diwali by sharing their joy with the lesser privileged. Kishor Upadhyay, 47, a public sector bank employee from Bhavnagar, celebrated Diwali and New Year with leprosy patients and orphans.

"I am associated with a group that consists of more than 50 families. We collect the donation from the members and buy sweets and fruits. All of us have the privilege to spend time with our family in the festivities but one has to think about the underprivileged in the society," Upadhyay says.
"We also make small packets of bundi-ganthiya for children of the streets and help them in celebrating the festivities. By this activity, we reach out to more than 100 people in two days," says Upadhyaya who is supported by his wife, son and daughter in this charitable act.
Prakash Thakkar, senior advocate at the Gujarat High Court, celebrated the festival of lights in an entirely different way with his family of nine siblings.
Thakkar said, "Our family members flew down from Unites States, Australia and from different parts of the country to enjoy this festival moment here in Ahmedabad. It was a get together for three generations of Thakkar's family, we celebrated Diwali in full traditional way with earthen lamps, rangoli and chanting of matras during the puja. It's like revisiting the old memory lanes and giving a tribute to our parents." Thakkar's family of 25 after enjoying the Diwali festivity visited a multiplex to watch a movie with his family members.

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