Ok folks, a quick environmental reminder
We have one life and our actions are constantly influencing our environment. It is not like they only influence when we are ready with our good intentions and taking care of stuff. For the environment to be safe from us, we need to be vigilant all the time.
Quick reminder, as it is celebration season in India.
- Use eco-friendly materials for celebration - traditional clay idols, or better still, idols that don’t need to be immersed in water sources.
- Noise pollution is a major issue. Every body and his cousin is celebrationg with a louder than thou music band, and honestly, beyond the drums we not just hear, but actually feel vibrating, there’s very little other music involved. Do take a moment to care about your own ear drums, and those of other life forms around you.
- Fire crackers are another source of air and noise pollution.
Do we really need to celebrate through destructive means? It is not like there aren’t better ideas available to us.
I remember how as a kid I never had fire crackers, but a budget of money for books, a new cycle, etc that I was encouraged to enjoy. I spent time on the terrace with no irritation from the smoke, and looking at the sky to see the fireworks others were busy lighting and not enjoying. In fact, i never developed an affinity for those that make loud noises.
Its not only me, people who are ill, the elderly and dogs and other pets also suffer a great deal from the racket we call enjoyment. People who are working find it irritating. People inside houses can’t speak on phones or watch television from all the noise…….. I guess some of the objective of the noise is “hey guys look at us, we are celebrating” but do you want people to appreciate your celebrations, or feel irritated at them?
One parade I liked last year was fantastic. They had jugglers, people dressed like warriors on horses, people dressed in the traditional clothes of every part of India, and really good music. It was loud, but not so loud that the drum drowned everything else, and the synthesizer went on “power play” trying to cope. It was a variety of instruments - a proper band, and it was nice listening to them as the parade went by.
I certainly wished that there were more like that, and I was very happy about those celebrations.
