It's eco-friendly all the way

Even if it’s at the cost of festivities going down, an eco-friendly Deepavali is on the cards for several Bangaloreans. 

The City, which is known for its environmental consciousness, seems quite keen on the idea of a clean and green festive season.As has been the trend over the last few years, the choice of not bursting crackers is quite common among many. 
   “My family and I have been celebrating Deepavali cracker-free for half-a-decade now. I have lovely memories from our childhood bursting crackers but as I entered my late teens, I realised that there were cleaner, healthier and less expensive ways of celebrating the festival. We introduced my younger sibling into the trend by reducing the number of crackers we bought for him each year and now, he is a bigger advocate of a green Deepavali than I ever was,” says Nikhil Jois, a young professional.
Adding colour instead of noise to the neighbourhood is another approach used by some. Sudha, a homemaker in Rajajinagar, shares, “My way of celebrating an eco-friendly Deepavali is to put rangoli outside my house, which is illuminated by the diyas. It’s a good way to bring out the festivities and get the kids involved.” 
She adds that if people do wish to burst crackers, pooling them as a group prevents a lot of pollution.

Some go for clay idols that can be immersed in buckets at home. 
Earthen diyas that are designed using natural colours and available in various shapes and sizes are also a popular option.  Ranjani Polepeddi, a teacher, says that her Deepavali is also quite simple. 

“I don’t burst crackers and very few diyas are lit. I just make pretty rangoli using diyas and flowers. The diyas are made of clay and we also use very few low voltage rice lights!” she smiles.

Being a teacher, she has even tried to spread this message to her students. 
“It’s sad to see how the roads and the locality get messed up by the garbage that is the aftermath of the cracker-bursting,” she says. 
“What makes a slow but sure difference is when I vehemently resist bursting even a single cracker. I told my students about how I celebrate Deepavali and encouraged them to think about how it helps the environment — including animals, young children and the elderly,” she adds. 
“I told them that festivals are for us to meet our friends and family and spend quality time with them; not to pollute our surroundings. When the environment card doesn’t work, I say that I don’t want to support the crackers industry which exploits children and harms the health of children and adults,” she says. 

Srinivasan Mohan, a professional, speaks about his turnover. 
“I was once someone who used to love bursting crackers. But when I encountered numerous campaigns on social media, television and on the radio about the pollution that crackers cause, my family and I opted to celebrate the festival of lights in the way it should be,” he says. 
“We adorn our house with diyas and serial lights and prepare some sweet dishes to celebrate Lord Ram’s return from exile. I feel that we should all slowly do away with crackers, which will be our tiny part in helping to save the environment,” he notes.