Indian Festivals- The Dark Side

Indian festivals might look like the most entertaining and enjoyable festivals, however they all take a backseat when it comes to conservation of resources and reduction of pollution. In this article we shall see how Indian festivals produce bad effects on the environment and Indian society. (We won't be going into the history of these festivals)

The festival of Holi, which means exchange of colours and water with use of buckets, water balloons and water pistols, leads to huge depletion of water resources of the country. Then again we see citizens complaining about part time water flow in their houses. They themselves are responsible for the problems they face. Records say that 30% of the water consumed by citizens per month is consumed on the one very day of Holi. Problems worsen as citizens have also started celebrating "Choti Holi" which means "Small Holi". It means holi celebrated at a smaller day just one day before the date of the actual festival. Water table has been falling drastically and some wells have dried out in the country of India. Holi is a big culprit and has played a major role in the downfall of water resources.

Coming to the next festival, Diwali, which basically means bursting of crackers to the citizens. It is known as the "Festival Of Lights" but the real name should be "Festival Of Air Pollution". Crackers are burst at a high level on the day of Diwali. Anars, Chackris, Bombs, Sky Crackers etc are bursted and celebrated by the citizens. This leads to widespread air pollution in the country and is not healthy at all for the birds, commonly crows and pigeons in India. Over the recent years, India has started to develop a foul smell in many areas. Garbage, air pollution, untidiness all sum up to it, even though air pollution is the major factor. Apart from crackers, Diyas (Pots) are lit up which also cause minor air pollution, however on the whole sum up to be major air pollution. "Say No To Crackers" is a common slogan in India, however many citizens, uncivilized, do not understand the importance and need of the enviroment. They also do not understand what impact could Diwali and the air pollution caused by it have in the future.

Sadly, the future generations might also continue these practices. Reason behind this is that in the current generations, records say that children have taken an active part in these festivals. When citizens celebrate these festivals they only think about their relegion, not about their country or the environment.