Enigma of Diwali

I love firecrackers, I hate noise, I hate smoke, but Diwali (Or Deepawali) brings all that together, the height of mixed emotions.

Being exposed to them from a very young age had made me love them, I eagerly waited for Diwali, for more firecrackers. But as the time passes and maturer we become, we began to notice changes, changes in behavior, changes in our actions and reactions, and changes in our perceptions. Earlier, on Diwali, I used to stand on my balcony and look at the sky, and enjoy the convergence of rockets from various directions. It was great, I began to dream, that all Diwalis are like that only. Convergence of thousand rockets. I hated bombs and other noisy crackers, making high pitched noises, but love softer ones. So I as a young boy I avoided walking in streets during the Diwali nights. But as time passed more I became used to it, but the fear still remained.

Few years back a new movement started, a movement to stop bursting crackers during Diwali. It was the direct outcome of the smog caused during the Diwali preceding the movement. Highly publicised, awareness campaigns were run by the government, telling people not to buy crackers. It could be seen everywhere, in school, colleges, Televisions, Radio, Print it seems that government was hellbent in closing the cracker industry in India. Cracker Industry too responded, saying imagine a Diwali without crackers. And the battle began and its on till now. Meanwhile the prices of the firecrackers escalated.

In this whole issue there were four things in question, first one based on which the movement began was public health. Second one is child labor involved in such industry. Third one is the loss of revenue and taxes to the government. And the fourth one is the unemployment to be caused by closing of such industry. The first question was answered by starting of the movement against the firecrackers. The second question was answered by impounding the companies violating the child labor regulations. The third question and fourth question was responded by not banning such industry.

But going through all that one may feel that in this whole issue there was dishonesty, on the part of government and on the part of the industry. If the government was soo concerened about the public health then why on the first go the industry was banned. If the industry is so honest, then why those firecrackers are still availble which flout both noise levels and pollution levels or why frequent raids reveal use of banned substances and child labor in their products. Today, everything is same, pollution is still there, so are the firecrackers and so is the movement.

Coming back to my expierences, I began to lose my fear of noisy cracker as I entered my later teens. Now, I was confidently able to fire rockets, skyshots and other such things. But I still feared bombs. But now on Diwali I havc began to feel different. The things which I used to enjoy, now they seem like a warzone with different weapons on. Its no fun to listen to such noises that, if used in its original occasion, might have killed someone. Using those flares as source of entertainment, which are used to signal if someone is in distress. Burning bombs with various noises, which if came from original source, might have killed someone. I do not enjoy them. But I still enjoy firecracker, why, because still it makes me feel more masculine, more brave, more courageous. But why I am suffering from this double opinion. Reason can be found in the middle paragraphs of this stupid article. The movement to ban was found on misfounded basis that the crackers are the only source of pollution. No, they are not. At one side we are having a heavy private vehicle population, development of newer industries and on other side we are comparing a festival which is being celibrated for not more than two days. How can it be the main reason for the problem of pollution. Agreed that it can be termed as a major cause of noise pollution, but still the regulations and rules are unable to stop this problem, instead, promoting imports of such problem(read Chinese crackers). But one day is not enough for the end of the world.

The feared person inside me, feared of terror, war, crime, hated the cracker. But my other self, supported it, but with changes. Duality is thus explained. This year too I had the feeling of fear, noises and rockets of war; But, I also saw the old scene, thousand rockets converging into one place.

About Delhi

A friend of mine had just arrived from London. It was more than two years since his last visit and also he needed his visa to be renewed. So when another friend of mine took him to the UK visa office (outsourced to a private company), he told me this incident.

After they, my friend from London and the friend of mine who took him, had finished their work at the visa office, they went to have some paan and water. At that place, my friend from London drank water and spitted on the street, saying 'I want to feel that I am in Delhi'.

"Bloody hell!" I remarked, as I was told this incident, " We have spent the entire day together, even spitted on the street, and still you are complaining about ther pollution in Delhi." I told my London friend.

About Delhi

Teacher: What are the methods of effective population control?

Student: Madam, these are Vasectomy, condoms, copper T, nirodh tablets, and...

Teacher: And?

Student: Blueline buses.

Another Coup In Pakistan: But who is bothered

I am not a TV person, so when the news of coup was flased in the before me in the grocery I was taken aback, aback but not surprised. When was Pakistan was not under any emergency, I asked myself. However, technically speaking Pakistan can be called a psuedo-democracy, a democracy with an autocratic President who also happens to be Chief of Army.

As usual, media was awashed with this news, countinuosly airing the troop movements, and the views of oppostions parties whose powers were suppressed. As the world views kept pouring in, so does the Channels were fed my fresh international feed. Whatever may be the world reaction, or reaction in India, one thing is certain, no one really seriously bothered to take the view of people of Pakistan, the awam which is really being affected by such political instability, or the people themselves are not bothered.

With country seeped in the history of political instability. It would not be unsual for the people to not to be bothered about such changes. They might say "Chalta hai yaar! yahan k to yehi mizaaz hai." Even the media have had sensed that, thats why they didn't asked people about there opinion. It is also possible that since it is an emergency, people might even be disallowed to form an opinion, " Never bothered, we need good orators, who will be translating whatever being said. Also the channel needs good publicity." , they might have thought. Kudos to people (media always have ensured it share), they know how to handle these situations, these things happens, every country has its own speciality, and this is the speciality of Pakistan; they might say.

But is it that simple to describe whole event that took place, can that be taken as public reaction. In this case I must admit I don't know the answers. Living in India, even with it shortcomings, has made me a free man with free views. I still cannot digest, even with the common history, why is India different from its neighbour. I am sorry, I might be swerving away from the topic. But if people of a country makes that country then in this case who is bothered.

I don't care about Pakistan, but still, it makes me think. That if we switch off the oxygen of a patient, then how long is he gonna survive.