No crackers, they celebrate joy of giving

INDORE: Be it mass awareness about environment or just a general lack of interest, more and more Indoreans are of the opinion that crackers are more of a hazard than a charm. While a few are posting messages on social media platforms to spread the word, others are going around the city to spread the message of a cracker-free Diwali.
Till last year, Arjun Joshi and his family members would burst a lot of crackers for the entire week that Diwali was being celebrated.It was only after discussions about the negative aspects of crackers on social media circles that got him and his family thinking. They finally pledged to avoid bursting crackers.
"To keep up with the festive spirit, my kids this time only lit diyas around the house and helped my wife with making rangolis and snacks. Not even once did they force me to buy crackers," he said. Joshi, who stays in Palasia, agreed that many people like him now prefer celebrating the festival of lights in its true spirit.
Having pledged not to burn crackers and instead finding alternate ways to celebrate Diwali, Mini Jain, a class eight student said, "I asked my parents not to buy crackers this time as I pledged at school that I wouldn't burst any. Though my younger brother was adamant, I explained to him the harmful effects of fireworks and have convinced him too."
Vivek Burrad, a regional sales manager at a pharma industry shared the same view. "For the last few years I haven't been burning crackers at all and have taught my daughter to do the same. This year too we will be donating toys and clothes to the less fortunate," he said. "My daughter is very young and she will learn whatever she sees us doing. I take her to slum areas and show how people there are happy without crackers," he said.
Various means of mass media have also contributed towards the growing awareness and have motivated several people to celebrate Diwali without crackers. "My team and I have started a campaign that promotes alternate ways to celebrate Diwali and make it a festival of kindness. We have been going around and distributing food packets, meeting underprivileged kids, getting them to make diyas and then lighting them too," said Amit Trivedi, founder of the Robin Hood Army, Indore Chapter.
Other alternatives that Indoreans have taken up this Diwali include gifting new clothes to servants, adopting stray animals and buying Diwali decorations from local vendors.
An MBA student, Taranpreet Kaur Chawla, has decided not to burn crackers as her pet and other dogs in her colony get scared. She is also spreading this message to kids living in her colony too by making them understand how crackers are harmful.