Noisy, Smoky & Risky Diwali: Is It Still The Festival Of Lights?

Diwali is the Festival of Lights, says everyone, but is the vibe changing with time? For centuries together, Diwali or Deepavali has been celebrated with crackers, flower pots, and sparklers – raising the festival spirit. Traditionally, marked as an auspicious occasion to end darkness or ignorance by lighting a lamp and invoking brightness, Diwali celebrations seem to have moved far from there in recent times, becoming more noisy, smoky, and risky.

Spreading joy or inconvenience?

Every Diwali, there are several reports suggesting how the festival is on the verge of becoming a festival of noise and pollution, leaving behind its traditional significance of being the “Festival of Lights”. They record how the celebration is increasingly getting overshadowed by concerns about noise, pollution, and safety due to the overuse of fireworks which is transforming it into a noisy and smoky affair and leading to significant health concerns.

People these days believe the festival celebrations have turned disturbing and concerning due to ear-deafening fireworks and recklessness, especially impacting the vulnerable segment of humans like senior citizens and divyangjan, as well as stray animals, who fearfully run for a hide out to escape our noisy festivities.

Noisy Diwali?

Late night bursting of firecrackers trouble senior citizens

“There have been festivals one after another for the last few months, making late nights noisier. It’s like we have been under the torture of these loud noises, be it firecrackers and loudspeakers,” says Smita Pandey of the Dignity Foundation, a senior citizen welfare organization with 15 units in Mumbai and more centres across India.

She further mentions that late night bursting of crackers disturb sleep and may cause anxiety. “They cause health hazards to us, and there is a need for the people to be sensitive towards the senior citizens,” she adds.

It's a challenging time for the differently-abled…

While the general public can still alert themselves on sighting a firecracker in front of them and move away, those visually-impaired and wheel-chair bound find it challenging to navigate through roads and lanes during the vigorous celebration. While they too celebrate the festival with joy by using mild fireworks which are comparatively safer (done under supervision), the open bursting of crackers and celebratory bombs poses a potential risk to the differently-abled persons.

Suni Mathew, Director at the Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech & Hearing Disabilities (Divyanjan), notes, “It is a very dangerous time for the visually-impaired people as they only learn about a cracker placed in their way when they are extremely near it (identified as an obstacle using cane stick) or the cracker explodes with smoke and sound.” She also mentions that wheeler chair-bound persons also find it challenging to step outdoor during the festival celebration.

“Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the major concerns we come across and worry about. It is caused commonly by honking, but the severe loud noise of bombs and certain firecrackers also impact one’s sense of hearing,” she says, reflecting on the noise aspect pertaining with not only Diwali, but most festivals.

According to a noise monitoring report by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, noise pollution due to fire crackers during Diwali Festival has been identified one of the major noise pollution problems in the region, with a tremendous increase in the noise levels each year both during day time and night time especially on the last day of Diwali.

Mumbai Pollution: Diwali Firecrackers Worsen City’s Post Monsoon Pollution Crisis As Smog And Noise Levels Spike

Psychologist comments

Commenting on the issue of air and noise pollution during the festival, psychologist Shalini Gamre draws our attention towards how sudden noise emitted through crackers and harmful smoke released through them affect people. She says, “During these days some individuals spend sleepless fearful nights due to the loud noise of firecrackers. The noise scares many of us, leading to a risk of anxiety attacks and stress-related problem…Along with the smoke which is bad for inhalation, prolonged exposure to noisy crackers can trigger stress levels of a pregnant woman, lead to hormonal imbalance in them”.

Further, talking of the risks associated while bursting firecrackers, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) record shows as many as 1373 patients in Delhi admitted to the burn care unit between 2002 and 2010. As of this year, news reports regarding deaths and injuries due to Diwali crackers have surfaced from the national capital, Chennai, and Andhra Pradesh. Notably, Navi Mumbai recorded two cases of burns even before the peak days of festival.

Navi Mumbai: National Burns Centre Reports 2 Diwali Burn Cases Before Festival’s Peak, Urges Precautions

Consider stray animals too during festival celebrations!

While we note that humans themselves witness the negative effects of a noisy, smoky and risky celebration, when there’s an excessive usage of products like Laxmi bomb, Sutli bomb, and garland firecracker, the plight of stray animals is even more miserable.

Dr Mayur Dangar, Hospital Manager of the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals in Parel pointed out that the adverse impact on animals, especially stray animals, is on the rise during festivals. He recollected how animals became victims to Diwali festivities last year and said that around 10 dogs were injured due to their exposure to firecrackers, of which one succumbed to pain and burns.

As of Diwali 2024, Dangar told us there were no cases were reported until Wednesday.

“Some people deliberately disturb animals for pleasure and entertainment. This is saddening and needs to change,” he said while urging citizens to celebrate in a cautious manner and with due consideration to these voiceless creatures.

“Dogs mostly depend on two senses, smell and hearing. Noisy and smoky crackers affect both, the nose and ears, leaving them worried. While pets too face breathing and hearing-related issues like stray animals, the homeless ones suffer more due to the risky firecrackers,” Dangar further noted.

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Loud noise scares them

Meanwhile, Nilesh Bhanage, the founder of the Plant and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS), reflected on the issue by saying, “The loud noise and pollution created by bursting noisy crackers during festivals is harmful for community animals like dogs and cats as well as flying birds. They get scared.”

“Whether it is Diwali or Eid or the Christmas Eve, at PAWS, we spread awareness among people to avoid or engage in the minimum usage of firecrackers,” he said while letting us know more about the campaign this year. The initiative encouraged people to take a step towards the wellbeing of animals during the festival by feeding them with a biscuit pack instead of spending Rs 35 on a packet of firecrackers.

Celebrating Diwali as "Festival of Lights"

This year, the BMC appealed to Mumbaikars to observe the occasion in a safe and sound manner. It stated, "Diwali is a festival of lights (Deepavali). Prioritise celebrating it with lights to avoid noise and air pollution. Use soundless firecrackers and those that produce minimal air pollution.” Further, it urged people to limit the timing of bursting crackers to 10 PM to ensure control over sound pollution and avoid any sort of inconvenience to others.

As we celebrate Diwali this year, it’s essential to reflect on what Diwali truly means. It’s time to reclaim the festival as one that traditionally embodies light, happiness, and togetherness. Let’s collectively celebrate the festival by singing prayers, lighting a lamp and using milder crackers like sparklers, rather than investing in largely harmful firecrackers.

This article doesn't condemn the festival rituals or any traditionally significant practice associated with Diwali. It only reflects on the adversely changing scenario of the "Festival of Lights" with supported insights from reports.