[bigron]

Oh yes burn crackers for sure. Its Diwali , time for some crash boom bang !
On a side note play safe everyone .

[krdeshmukh]

Well different people different opinion.... My 2 cents, I love bursting crackers. Thou in limited qty. but it's a very traditional affair. Not sure who started it but has been going on for years. Color balloons on rang panchami, garba in Navratri , a stick with a cloth on guide Padwa. It's all about India. All is well in limited quantity. No one thinks of noise pollution while riding a super bike or a modified bullet silencer. No one thinks of pollution while driving guzzelers like endevour AT.

So maintain the tradition. If you read lord Macaulay letter to British parliament dated 2feb 1835. You will agree with me. He says and I quote . If you want to rule this country then break its tradition. Country will break.

Jai hind &happy Diwali

[shankar.balan]

Fun last night. Lit the whole house with little lamps. Fired up around 50 beautiful flower pots outside with a few packs of sparklers.

Cleaned up everything afterwards, packed it all nicely back into the original boxes and bagged them all up nicely and separately for the garbage man to collect.

Gave some flowerpots and sparklers to the poor construction labourers kids who are in the neighbourhood. Kids eyes light up and they say thank you so nicely I feel only sadness at the terrible poverty that we see around us.

Blasted government couldn't care less and I hate that. Why can't they give at least 50% of my tax money to genuinely look after the poor?

Tonight a complete blow by blow repeat performance with the same sort of fireworks is planned!

[null]

Scientific enquiry shows that Bangalorians prefer a silent Diwali. https://www.facebook.com/notes/goobe...53409984585548 Not sure of the authenticity of this news item. Prof Goobe-lingam is a give-away I guess :P

[Thad E Ginathom]

Enjoyed a good concert yesterday afternoon. Driving on side roads was a little nerve-racking, so I detoured to major roads to avoid the fireworks. For all the children who would have been so disapointed I am glad that it rained in the afternoon and the night, but not in the evening.

Personally, though, I was bored by the whole thing by the time I got home and didn't bother to watch any more. I did light my lamps (one still has a slight glimmer all these hours later) and wish the world well.

Perhaps I should have wished that it comes to understand that tradition is so often a marketing tool and that, anyway, life moves on and learning is supposed to happen. That something happened last year and the year before is not the reason for doing it this year.

If you read lord Macaulay letter...

It is a while since I did. It is a while, too, since I discovered that this appears to be an early urban myth. In other words, it didn't actually happen. I don't recall the why and wherefore, but Google will. If anyone is interested and can find it, BBC radio did an excellent program which is well worth listening to.

However, even if this so-called speech was not made by Lord M, as, indeed, it seems it wasn't, it probably still expressed the attitudes of the colonisers. I remain ashamed of British history, and resent the recent rehabilitation of the colonial era in current Indian education. My ancestors might have done one or two good things, but they were only here because they were a bunch of thieves, and they left when there was nothing worthwhile left to steal.

There: that's my fireworks!

[Zed]

Originally Posted by krdeshmukh

. If you want to rule this country then break its tradition.

Are you sure that chemical explosives supplied by an industry that thrives on child labout really represent a traditional celebration ?

I guess it would help if we were to ask our grand parents how diwali (and other festivals) were celebrated, during their time, to get a sense of what tradition dictates.

Im no expert but I am willing to bet that Diwali was about lighting lamps (not explosives) & featured actvities centred around the home, food and camaraderie.

No offense to anyone that enjoys loud fireworks and chemical fumes. My perception is the same for other religious celebrations as well.

Diwali greetings to all you folks.

[sa_kiran]

Pollution during Diwali is nothing compared to the pollution caused by coal-based power plants, whose efficiency is very very bad. There are other activities that cause more noise and environment pollution. So, I have nothing but contempt for the people who preach noiseless/pollution-free Diwali. If they really care for the environment, now they should know what to target.

I don't burst crackers, because I don't like the pollution and noise. And I don't want to promote child labor in cracker industry.

[shankar.balan]

Most urban areas are waking up as it were, preferring relatively silent Diwalis. Year after year I am observing the steady reduction in noise levels, and sheer number of bombs etc. specifically these last three years... People seem to be gravitating more towards light displays and pyrotechnics instead of loud bangs! I'm glad, as are my dogs!

[pjbiju]

No crackers for us this time. Just some flower pots etc. which will be more of a light show. Anyway I stay indoors since I develop allergic problems if I breathe in too much of this stuff.

[k_ajay]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Most urban areas are waking up as it were, preferring relatively silent Diwalis. Year after year I am observing the steady reduction in noise levels, and sheer number of bombs etc. specifically these last three years... People seem to be gravitating more towards light displays and pyrotechnics instead of loud bangs! I'm glad, as are my dogs!

Ditto, was my observation. Until Sunday Nov 3rd, I could hardly hear much crackers (of any decibel level), except for the few like me who celebrated Diwali on 2nd Nov.

Even on 3rd which is when most of B'lore celebrated, there was definitely a marked difference (an improvement) over the quantity of firecrackers lit, duration of the fireworks and also the type of firecrackers that were lit.

Something positive in all the negativity surrounding the festival.

[AbhishekB86]

Now that Diwali is over, what is this a hangover?

There are still loud crackers bursting every 2nd minute. Maybe its to show the neighbors that they bought so many they could not finish them even a day after diwali.

Ridiculous is the word. Do you throw water baloons and color on people 48 hours after Holi too? If not then why this now?

[Eddy]

Traditionally sporadic crackers continue till Guruparv. Of ccourse, its almost Diwali like cracker bursting on that day, especially if you live in some areas of West Delhi

[Technocrat]

Couldnt burn any this year, just like last year :(

Hopefully will fix this next year

[bluevolt]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Traditionally sporadic crackers continue till Guruparv. Of ccourse, its almost Diwali like cracker bursting on that day, especially if you live in some areas of West Delhi

There will be some crackers for Sachin's farewell match too

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by AbhishekB86

Now that Diwali is over, what is this a hangover?

Must be all the Brits celebrating Guy Fawke's Day, November 5th!