Diwali 2016: Children say 'no crackers' for a cleaner Diwali

NASHIK: Many city students have resolved not to burst crackers or to burst only one firecracker that has minimum sound and air pollution during Diwali.
Rishika Singh, a nine-year-old, has forbidden her parents from buying firecrackers this Diwali in an attempt to avoid pollution and also to save money.
"We have been taught about eco-friendly celebrations in our school and we will be observing it.We too have a dog and it gets frightened at the sound of a small cracker. My neighbour's grandmother is old and she keeps coughing due to smoke," she said.
Mitali's parents Rajan and Kavita Tiwari were surprised at their eight-year-old daughter's stand a year ago. "We initially blamed the school for not letting our children enjoy. But we realised that Mitali was firm in her belief and enjoyed last Diwali without crackers. This year, we did not compel her and have also not bought any crackers for her. Afterall rituals were made by human beings. God did not ask us to burst crackers and cause harm to the environment," said Kavita.
Piyush (10) and Jatin Shah (12) have not been bursting crackers since three years after they learnt about the harmful effects on the environment. "We have also been able to convince many of our friends and some neighbours to give up on crackers," said Jatin.
His mother Namita said they were initially surprised and felt that children derived happiness only after bursting crackers. "We were wrong. They made us realise that we were burning money. We also began respecting nature," said Namita.
Manav Utthan Manch is conducting Cracker Free Diwali on Sunday, an activity that they have been conducting every year. "We request children to join us to save the environment and animals from the harmful effects of crackers," said Jagbir Singh, the founder of MuM.