It’s inflation, lights & no noise this Diwali

MANGALORE: The verdict is clear. Today, people prefer a pollution-less Diwali. This means, residents are spending less on noisy crackers and more on fireworks that give out sufficient light. However, it’s the inflation factor that’s playing hard on many minds this year.
HIGHER RATES PLAY DETERRENT
It will not be as vibrant as earlier. The mood is not upbeat.Generally the rates of mithai or gold are at an all-time high, which acted as a deterrent to me from spending during Diwali. For instance, we are just a day away from Diwali and normally we see fireworks’ stalls in many places. This year, there are hardly any around. This weekend, it wasn’t anything unusual, it was normal business. This year, the fireworks at our house will not match up to last year.
Deepak Ramani, businessman
NOTHING BOGS US DOWN
Diwali will be the same like other years for us. Of course, the inflationary pressure has not bogged us down. It’s one time of the year that’s dedicated to my family. My daughter has joined us to make the celebrations sweeter. I wish my son was present, but he is busy with a start up venture at Bangalore. We do angadi puja in our shop. Fireworks are something we avoid as it’s a waste of money, dangerous and a pollutant.
Lata Kini, entrepreneur
NO SOUND, ONLY LIGHT
We will have a get-together from Rajasthani Association as usual and felicitate three persons from our community who have contributed a lot. At home, it will be the regular affair with the start of Dhanteras, where we buy new gold coins for worship. I have bought gold when it was Rs 300 per gram and now I’m buying it when it is Rs 2,500 per gram. But my budget has been capped at Rs 50,000 to buy gold from years. At home, there has been less demand for fireworks as schools educate children about pollution factor. A notable thing is that we have started avoiding crackers, which produce loud sound. Rather, we purchase crackers which give more light.
Ravi Jalan, businessman
NO LOW-KEY DIWALI
Traditionally, Diwali for us has been same throughout and celebrations have not seen a dip due to any outwardly pressures like inflation. It is a fact that prices have gone up, but celebrations will not be low key. We use minimum fire crackers. With the money that we saved from not buying fireworks, we exchange sweets with our loved ones, spreading happiness.
Pradeep Pai, MD, Hangyo Ice Creams Pvt Ltd.
IT’S CELEBRATION TIME
This time we will celebrate Diwali in our new house in Balmatta. We will not have fireworks as my daughter, Anushka, advocates a non-pollution Diwali. We have been following this for past eight years. We light diyas and decorate the house. Our entire family will gather at our house and celebrate it together. We will distribute sweets to our neighbours, irrespective of the community. It will also be doubly special as my daughter, who got admission into National Law School, Kolkata, will be with us this year.