For some, a Diwali beyond crackers, gifts

Nagpur: It’s the festive time of the year again. And there are some whose usual celebrations are much beyond bursting crackers, hosting card parties and exchanging lavish gifts.
Celebrating Diwali with a difference, many are adding a sensible and sensitive expression to the festivities. From collecting e-waste to replacing corporate gifts with eco-friendly birdhouses, many such altruistic efforts are a part of revelries this Diwali.
During pre-festival cleaning, old electronic appliances are sorted out for disposal at every other household in quantum. With no proper arrangements for the scientific management of e-waste in the city, the discarded electronics end up in landfill and garbage sites with other solid waste, thus polluting the environment.
“To make people aware of this, our volunteers are collecting e-waste from different neighbourhoods. We have tied-up with an agency in Butibori that will recycle the waste and pay us according to the total weight of the collected waste. This money will be used to provide support to Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness project in which we go to schools to teach civic sense to students,” said Nisha Thakur, project manager of Sir Gangadharrao Chitnavis Trust.
While people spend extravagantly on corporate gifts and exotic dry-fruits, such items usually find themselves not coming much in use. Changing the trend, many are going for social and eco-friendly gifting. Bird houses and nest boxes are getting popular in the city this season. “We are getting many orders of such from Nagpur this year. People are bored of the routine gifts and want to go for something more substantial. Many corporates and families are purchasing specially designed houses for sparrows, mynas, owls and other birds,” said Mohammed Dilawar, founder president of Nature Forever Society based in Nashik.
A group of city youngsters is busy making the festival special for orphan and marginalized kids. “Many children living in slums are working as child labourers and cannot afford to buy lanterns and other decorative items for their houses. So we are teaching them Diwali special art and craft activities,” said Nakul Agrawal, founder of Renovatio. He added that many youngsters are volunteering to celebrate Diwali at city orphanages. “We will burst crackers and distribute clothes and sweets to the inmates,” said Agrawal.
Under its Wall of Kindness project, the Rotary Club of Nagpur North is encouraging families to donate anything that is in usable conditions. “Underprivileged cannot afford to buy new things for the festival. So we are collecting everything we can — clothes, footwear, bags, toys, utensils, unused diyas, lanterns and candles which we will distribute to slum dwellers to make their celebrations special,” said first lady of the club Jyoti Kriplani.
Diwali gives the perfect opportunity to go back to one’s roots. Rather than spending money on crackers, the Tupkar family shells out for helping daily-wagers and beggars. “Ever since our two daughters were born, we have shunned crackers as they not just cause pollution but are also harmful for humans, birds and animals. We are happy that our kids are also living up to the tradition now,” said housewife Swati Tupkar.