Sunday 16 October 2011

Greater effort this year for a cracker-free Diwali


Pune:There is an extra push for a noiseless Diwali this year. Animal lovers, the youth and city schools are promoting it. On Sunday, at 7 am, the city’s animal lovers along with Pune Cycle Pratisthan will organise a rally, with partcipants walking or cycling. The event, Festival of Kindness, has already created a buzz on Facebook, with many Puneites pledging support. “It’s not just for dog lovers. A noiseless Diwali will benefit senior citizens, children and others inconvenienced by loud crackers,” said Neeta Godambe, a canine behaviourist and member of Pune Cycle Pratisthan. 

The rally will be flagged off from the University of Pune and separate routes has been marked for those on foot and on bicycles. “The event has been initiated by Shirin Merchant, a dog lover and behaviourist based in Mumbai. She has an online magazine, woofmag.in, where people can pledge support. It’s a pan-India campaign but the rally is only being held in Pune,” said Shalaka Mundada, owner, Pet Sitters. “Every year, animal lovers have to deal with pet-owners who say Diwali is a traumatic time for pets. Thus, a noiseless Diwali will be a boon for them, their pets and even stray dogs,” she added. 

Godambe and others of the Pune Cycle Pratisthan are supporting the cause because of noise pollution in the city. “People burst crackers in the middle of the night and it’s a nuisance. This is the festival of lights, not sound. There should be some kind of control or limit,” Godambe said. 

There is widespread awareness amongst children on this issue, says Nalini Sengupta, principal, Vidya Valley School. “Next week, we will organise a talk on a noiseless Diwali. Our students are rallying for the cause and so many have come to me saying I shouldn’t burst crackers this Diwali! They are environmentally aware and against children being employed to make crackers,” she said. 


Youth To Youth, a group with 150 members in the age group of 16-30 years, has organised a Green Diwali campaign. “There is so pollution due to firecrackers. We are trying to reach out to school and college students to say no to firecrackers,” said member Rucha Bhandare. The group has made posters, bookmarks and T-shirts bearing messages for a noiseless Diwali. They have even filmed a short documentary on the subject featuring mentally-challenged children from NGOs. 

“Closer to Diwali, we will organise a sign-up campaign at Fergusson College Road and other college-centric areas. People can pledge support by dipping their hands in vegetable dyes and leaving their palm imprint on a white sheet,” Bhandare added. The campaigns have affected cracker sales, says Dilip Deokar of Amol Agency that supplies firecrackers.

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