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Diwali: the festival of pollution free light
N. Sundaresan Iyer
Chennai, India
Diwali or deepawali , means the festival of lights . diwali has great significance
in hindu culture like Gayatri mantra, which also means leading us from darkness
to light. Ancient history states that when milky ocean (kheer Sagar) was
churned, goddess laxmi, the goddess of wealth, appeared as a result of that
churning .Diwali is a festival of paying tribute to goddess laxmi . As per
Ramayana, After defeating Ravana, when Rama came back to Ayodhya, People
celebrated Diwali, by lighting earthen lamps . As per Mahabharata, When
Krishna killed Narakasur, the lamps were lit to celebrate victory over the evil.
For generations, Diwali was celebrated as the festival of light. However, the
practice of burning crackers came into existance much later.
Diwali is celebrated all over india with great zeal & vigor . In North India, it is
celebrated in memory of lord Ram & in South India, in memory of lord Krishna
.During diwali people wear new clothes, distribute sweets, visit temples .
In South India, for newly married couples or couples blessed with new baby
it is called “thala” (first) diwali . The couples wear new garments & exchange
sweets, share a light moment of their life by lighting sparklers.
On diwali people get up early in the morning, offer prayer to God, make a special
paste and apply it with oil on their fore head . Then they apply 7 drops of oil on
their thigh signi fying the presence of Saptha Rishis within them. After that, they
chew some betel leaves, as a part of the ritual.Finally, they take bath with herbal
powder and celebrate the day by sharing of sweets & savories
In South, crackers are made in Sivakasi. No doubt crakers contribute a lot
towards environmental pollution, but if this phenomenon can be done in a
useful way by using recycled papers & by use of eco friendly substances, which
produces less or zero noise, release no harmful gases rather useful gases, then?
This is truly an area where studies like biotechnology & biochemical
technology can be put into use in such a way that , the crackers burst & release
Special Volume 1, October 2015
60