Yayay..It’s Diwali again- the festive time of the year is back J. The excitement of celebrations- lights, shopping *eee*, sweets and chocolates at Diwali time, is exceptional. But ohh no *sad* it’s the time for the enormous amount of noise and air pollution as well. L
It is understandable that all the spirits are high around the festive season and all of us want to enjoy in the most incredible ways however even after knowing that Diwali needs to be celebrated in the most eco-friendly manner, most of us struggle in figuring out the ways to have blast without actually having the blast (*he-he*, I mean blast without fire crackers).
This year you can ACTUALLY make a difference by opting to celebrate Diwali somewhat different this year. Awestruck? I have got you covered.
Here I have tried to list out some most easily doable and fun loving activities which you can try instead of burning crackers and have a wonderful Diwali.
1. Bon-fire over crackers: Love crackers and don’t want to quit? Here is the choice :*happy happy*
You can celebrate this festival of lights by lightning a bon-fire in an open space or on your terrace with your friends and family. Get all the children of your society to go for a nature walk the evening before Diwali and collect dry leaves, grass, twigs etc. Click pictures, talk about the nature and appreciate the beauty around you.
Fill up balloons with glitter and small pieces of colored paper and burst them while spending time with friends along with the bon-fire. The cheerful sound will be enough to usher in Diwali.
And yes of course- home-made sweets and sharbat are always welcome..!!
2. Host a celebration: You can go traditional and eco-friendly this festive season instead of buying those expensive crockery for your parties. Use small earthen glasses and banana leaves to serve your guests (unique and interesting).
Organize an event for kids as well as adults. Some suggestions like:
1. Flower making competition
2. Sweet making competition
3. Rangoli making competition
4. Drawing competition
5. Throw a party- a dance party: All you need is a music system and you are ready to rock and roll. It will have all the sound along with the fun and that too without crackers. Na-na- don’t forget- it is less expensive as well.
3. Rangoli lover- try this out:
Use organic and eco-friendly colors for your Rangoli. Rather than buying the colors and dyes from the market (which are expensive too :P) switch to the things which you already have in your house.
Chawal (Rice powder) for white, Haldi (turmeric) for yellow, dal chini (cinnamon) for brown, chhoti elaichi (cardamom) or saunf (fennel) for green, sindoor or laal mirchi (dried red chilly) for red. Need more colors- look around and let your imagination lose.
Rangoli can be made with fresh flowers as well. The fragrance will create the perfect ambiance for the festival.
Decoration of doorways can be done with garlands of jasmine and marigold along with setting up of lilies and rose vases. This way, the beauty of the house will be enhanced in a better manner than those artificial lights would have done.
4. Make sweets at home, yes be old school this time: Instead of buying those over sugar coated sweets from the market, try making sweets at home which are filled with your love and care for your family. There are many options- badam halwa, kulfi, rabri, ladoo, sewaiyan, icecream and the list is never ending. Choose what you want.
5. It is time to give back to the society: Spend some time with the under privileged children instead of spending hours in bursting crackers and drinking and partying. Spend time with them and spread happiness all over. They will cherish this time and simple gestures like giving them some home-made sweets, donating old clothes, stationary, ear-rings etc. will make this day a festival for them as well. You can also visit an old-age home, a hospital or any place where people need just love. Spend time with them, share stories, listen to songs and eat good food with them.
There are certain things which you can plan to do and not do this Diwali season to make it a beautiful memory for everyone around.
This Diwali, let’s take a pledge for a better future:
This Diwali, let us burn hunger over crackers.
Are you with me? How are you going to celebrate your Diwali?
Please share your views in the comment section below.