Diwali lights

Diwali is the festival of lights. But the way it is celebrated, it becomes the festival of sound - noise, to be more precise. Some fireworks produce light and they look beautiful. But there are some that solely produce sound. Deafening noises, that shake up the surroundings. Little "bombs" they are. And for a brief moment they produce a lot of light as well. So, we all end up with battered eardrums and tired eyes. The amount of smoke produced in an already over-polluted city is enormous. Further, the roads are are strewn with all kinds of burnt stuff, paper, firework leftovers, bottles of glass and plastic, remains of bonfires, etc when we are through with bursting crackers. It is a mess.

Sometimes, we can feel in the air the mood of a place. Though this should not be the basis for any strong conclusions, but it cannot be wholly disregarded. The mood was not exactly one of joy, in its simplicity. Neither was it something that seemed to bring the people together, by pointing out something common between us all. A bit of it was led by the ego, where some people wanted to outdo some other with fancier fireworks, and a bit of it was perfunctory. But the sense of joy seemed to be missing, at least in the part of the celebrations I saw.

Diwali, however is also celebrated quietly by decorating homes, welcoming guests, lighting candles and stuff. But it is this noise-filled Diwali which I witnessed, that is beyond my comprehension. Rather than creating a sense of involvement where we can lose track of time, it creates a strong desire for all the noises to stop. Anyway, these are not popular views. But that's how I feel about the way Diwali is celebrated in certain parts.