DIWALI – AN ANALYSIS OF THE POLLUTION FACTOR:

Diwali night signifies the end of the darkness of ignorance and the beginning of the
enlightment phase.But at the same time Diwali also has its harmful impacts on the
environment and also on the human body largely.
Further pages endeavours to bring about the sensitization needed towards celebrating an
environmentally safe Diwali by pointing out the major impacts that Diwali has on our
environment.

How to celebrate an Eco Sensitive Diwali?

Now, that you are interested in celebrating an Eco - Sensitive Diwali, the first thing that you
need to do is to make yourself aware about the effects the traditional Diwali celebrations has
on the Mother Nature. Given below are three major environmental impacts that Diwali
Festival have on our environment.
1. Air Pollution through Firecrackers
2. Excessive Consumerism
3. High Energy Consumption
1. Air Pollution through
Firecrackers –

"Say 'No' to Fire crackers and 'Yes' to life!"

For most people lighting of firecrackers is the highlight of Diwali. Brighter the sparkles,
louder the noise the greater the thrill!! In fact to many of us, these aesthetic forms of light
seem so appropriate and most essential when celebrating the 'Festival of Lights'.

But little do people realize that in our increasingly populated and polluted cities, the
temporary joy of watching the firecrackers is soon replaced by the intense air pollution
caused by these. The toxic substances used in the firecrackers release toxic gases that are
harmful to the health of all living beings. The high level of noise generated by the crackers
cause immense suffering to birds and animals. Besides, Diwali crackers are dreaded by the
sick and the ailing.

Sadly, few of us realise that the firecrackers used on Diwali are mostly made by very young
children. Since the substances being handled are extremely toxic many of these child
labourers get sick and die in their early teenage years.

Harmful effects of Chemicals used in crackers:

Let's do a little analysis of crackers and list out in actual terms the harmful effects posed by
each of its chemicals.

Chemical Impact
Copper Irritation of respiratory tract
Cadmium Anemia and damage to kidney
Lead Affects the nervous system
Magnesium Its dust and fumes cause metal fume fever
Sodium Reacts violently with moisture and can attack the skin.
Zinc Leads to vomiting
Nitrate Could lead to mental impairment
Nitrite Could lead to coma

Noise Pollution caused by Fire Crackers:

Crackers that make a noise of more than 125 decibels at four metres distance from the point
of bursting are banned by the law. Given here are the hazards posed by excessive noise
pollution caused by crackers:
1. Hearing loss, high blood pressure, heart attack and sleeping disturbances.
2. Sudden exposure to loud noise could cause temporary deafness or permanent relative
deafness.

2.Excessive Consumerism -

An indirect but equally significant impact of Diwali on nature is due to the increased
consumption. Since Diwali is also a celebration of abundance and wealth - many people
believe that it is a good time to buy. Often, people go out and buy new items even when they
don't need them. Advertisements and hoardings scream out to people offerings sales
extravaganzas, bargains, discounts encouraging us to buy more and more!

How does this increased consumption affect Nature?

A point to realize is that all man made items are made out of materials that come from
Nature. Be it plastic, metal, paper or cloth - all of these raw materials come directly from
nature. Those sources that are non renewable (cannot be grown back) such as fossil fuels and
metal ores get depleted and will one day run out. Depletion of non renewable natural
resources is one of the most significant impact of consumerism.

For instance, the gold earrings that you will buy on Diwali is coming from a gold mine that is
not only depleting the gold resources of the earth, but in the process of mining is probably
ruining several ecosystems.

A question to ponder at this stage is, where do all the things we throw away go finally? Solid
waste created by human beings which is non biodegradable (does not easily decompose) has
to be filled into holes dug up in the ground. These 'landfills' as they are called may exist for
centuries without completely getting integrated into the soil. The plastic toys that you are
throwing away today, may exist in a landfill several generations after yours!

Five Principles of Nature conservation-

To be able to conserve our natural environment it is important to keep in the following

principles -
1. Reduce : the amount of things we use
2. Reuse : the things we have in different forms until we have absolutely no use for
them
3. Recycle : items that are no longer functional.
4. Rethink: the choices we make when deciding to buy something and
5. Refuse : things that we do not need at all.

So this Diwali, before you buy something new apply the above five principles and only then
pay at the counter!

High Energy Consumption -

The festival of lights puts a considerably heavy load on electrical energy sources that are
already overloaded. The use of electric lights to adorn homes, business establishments,
monuments and roads requires a huge amount of electricity. The older tradition of burning oil
lamps is a possible alternative to electric lights - even though it does use oil, the duration of
the lamps is shorter.

Eco sensitive Initiatives around Diwali

With the growing recognition of the impacts of Diwali on the environment, several groups
have started to reinterpret the rituals and traditions to become more sensitive to nature. For
instance, the children of NCL school, Pune celebrate a different Diwali by sharing clothes
with the lesser privileged.

DUSHERRA- AN ANALYSIS OF THE POLLUTION FACTOR

In the Hindu months of Ashwin and Kartik, the Hindus observe ten celebration days
including fast and fiesta in order to worship ‘Goddess Durga’ and ‘Lord Ram’. The first nine
days is called as ‘Navratri’ (Nine nights) and the tenth and most important day is known as
‘Dussehra’. This is one of the biggest national festivals to be celebrated all over India. This
festival is celebrated as “The victory of good over evil”. In the nine nights, all the nine
goddesses are worshipped. Dussehra is a festival of glitter, fireworks and galore. The
celebration is Dussehra is for the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana. In the community
grounds, the giant sized effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarana and Meghnath are burnt. This is all
about fun and fair in the air.

In today’s circumstances, with the increasing effects of global warming it becomes very
important to take precautionary measures while celebrating such festivals of Diwali and
Dusherra and thus play safe.The festivities should be celebrated by observing certain limits
and thus by honouring the needs and the demands of the environment at large.

Do’s:

1. Use energy efficient lighting: This is said to be the smartest idea to save power and money
both. Decorate your house nicely by using energy-saving lights.

2. Sow plants: In this festive season, do something different. It’s time to make the atmosphere
green. You can sow plants to make your home greener.

Don’ts:

1. Avoid loud speakers: Avoid disturbance in the environment by avoiding loud speakers in
residential areas as it causes noise pollution. One may feel too religious by just uttering the
holy voices and offering prayers.

2. Avoid fireworks as much as possible: Fireworks cause much air pollution and noise
pollution. This could be proved harmful too in some extent. In order to minimize smoke and
enhance safety, organize fireworks only in designated areas like fair grounds or stadium.

3. Recyclable materials: It is important for the food stall owners in the fair grounds to use
recyclable materials to serve.

4. Minimize use of electronic gadgets: In this festive season, in order to celebrate occasion
being radiation-free, give rest to all your electronic gadgets. Don’t use these gadgets too
much. It helps to save energy on the occasions when electricity is used in much amount.

5. Don’t use private vehicles: In order to minimize traffic congestion, enjoy walking or
cycling. It helps to control pollution in much extent.
Conclusion:

Though an individual or a family can’t control pollution by adopting these tips but this could
be a good start to increase the awareness among peoples near you. Enjoying celebrations is
really a good experience. But it is important to make the environment healthy and green and
it can be possible with an initiative of ours. Mostly diseases come from the releasing of
harmful gases from fireworks. It also helps to protect environment from sound pollution.
When we understand the value of our environment, the day is not so far when everybody
stays healthy.

ISLAMIC AZAN AND REACTIONS AGAINST IT IN INDIA AND

ABROAD:

1.Germany:

The installation of outdoor loudspeakers on mosques has frequently met with opposition in
communities where Islam is a minority religion. In Cologne, Germany, the proposed
construction of the Cologne Central Mosque encountered strong criticism from some area
residents; a ban on broadcasting the call to prayer over loudspeakers outside the building was
among the first stipulations that the mosque's supporters had to agree to when seeking a
building permit.

2.UK:

In 2008 in Oxford, England, local residents opposed a mosque's plans to use loudspeakers to
broadcast calls to prayer, calling the electronic amplification an "un-neighborly intrusion"
that would disrupt the peace and turn the area into a "Muslim ghetto". A spokesman for the
Oxford Central Mosque explained, "We do not need the volume to be loud but we want to
have the call in some form because it's our tradition.”

3.USA:

In 2004, the Al-Islah Mosque in Hamtramck, Michigan, US, attracted national attention when
it requested permission to broadcast its call to prayer. This upset many of the non-Muslim
residents of the area, which has a large and long-established Polish Catholic population.
Proponents pointed out that the city was already subject to loud bell ringing from the local
church, while opponents argued that the church bells served a nonreligious purpose. Later
that year, the city amended its noise regulations to limit the volume of all religious sounds.
Prior to this, other mosques in the Detroit area had been using loudspeakers to broadcast their
calls to prayer without incident.
4.India:

In India, some anti-noise pollution activists have called for restricting the use of
loudspeakers, arguing that "religion is not a ground to violate noise rules". In 1999, in
debating a proposed blanket ban on loudspeakers atop mosques, some political leaders in
India alleged that loudspeakers had been used to create "communal tension", and that they
had been used to "incite" a riot in Nandurbar, Maharashtra state, on November 10, 1999.

5.Saudi Arabia:

In 2002, Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs Shaikh Saleh Al-Ashaikh sent an official order to
Saudi imams and khatibs, stating that mosques should not be used as political platforms, and
that mosques are meant only for prayer, guidance and other pious activities.