Diwali-Clean, shop, feast, repeat!

Diwali- The Great Indian Purge

Photo: incredibleindia.gov.in

Just a little over a week left for Diwali, the annual extravaganza of lights, bright colours, shiny displays, feast, and fun.  

A strict no-no to inauspicious garbage and dirt during the festival; obviously, these days we are busy cleaning our houses like a nation possessed, because Goddess Lakshmi, who grants the boon of wealth, apparently has very strict housekeeping standards and does not bless homes with even one cobweb or speck of dust. Westerners spring clean for comfort; we do Diwali cleaning for divine inspection, and back pain.

What this national cardio entails is whitewashing, painting, scrubbing, cleaning every nook and corner, polishing furniture, washing curtains and bedspreads, and whatever else can stand detergent, water, chemicals, sponges, rags, brooms, and brushes, till the house shines brighter than newly-bought, winking Christmas lights. Old or worn-out utensils are replaced, for fear of offending Lakshmiji. That in simple words means - out with the worn-out, broken, old and bring in the new. 

Then comes the décor- candles or diyas (earthen lamps) for the traditional, Chinese fairy lights and figurines of Lakshmi and Ganesh, and puja samagri (material for worship) such as garlands, flowers, leaves, and various kinds of offerings. The five-day Diwali celebration demands new puja rituals and offerings each day.

Some lucky ones find misplaced photos, toys, trinkets, earrings, and other random articles during this cleaning. Except demonetisation some years ago, Diwali has been the only occasion one can hope to find hidden or lost currency notes or pieces of jewellery.  

Diwali puja photo: hindulife.yale.edu

Several thousand quintals of mithai (Indian sweets) made of milk, flour, chickpea flour, sugar, ghee, nuts are bought, exchanged and distributed, as also are dry fruits, nuts, chocolates, clothes, decorative items, electrical and electronic goods, even jewellery and what not. This is a sacred occasion, most people want to use virgin material for Diwali activity, not recycled items.

We energetically dump bags full of useless stuff down on the roof of the apartments behind ours, street, roadside anywhere. We happily ‘gift’ useless objects to the less fortunate and prove our economic worthiness by shopping like we are solely responsible for validating the booming economy claims of the government.  

Some less wise people make a hullabaloo about the surge in festival waste, but I say Diwali is the perfect time when nearly everyone gets to show their worth.

The morning-after, the sight of garbage bins overflowing with several thousand  metric tonnes of waste are proof that we are a safai-premi (cleanliness lovers) nation and of course, we had a great festival. The ritual compliance packages and gifts generate clutter of several thousand kilometers of wrapping paper, ribbons, tinsel, hundreds of kilos of cardboard or wooden boxes, paper and carbon powder from crackers, even half-burnt crackers. Imagine the cocktail we manage to create even in waste!  

The unswept roads and clogged drains are a literal godsend opportunity for the civic authorities to show how much they toil. Like little children, they can bring out and show off their armoury, the mini and large waste trucks, tipper trucks, trailers and heavy machinery to clear the roads, streets, parks, and neighbourhoods.

The massive food waste is proof our nation is not poor. The waste gets transported to the landfills, makes every inch of our soil fertile, helping ardent kitchen gardeners to grow mirch-tamatar (chillies-tomatoes) in their balconies.

Some people propagate biodegradable, solar-powered, minimalist options. Why use novel, funky ideas, when you can easily use cheaper, reusable, long-lasting plastic? Those among us who believe in permanence, use material which would take years and decades to decompose.  

For the sake of strengthening our new-found dosti (friendship) with China, it is healthy to feed their economy by encouraging their cheap plastic decorations.

We know the gods who visited our house, are all powerful and can jolly well take care of themselves. So, the clay, resin, plaster of Paris figurines are bid guilt-free farewell to for their trip back home, via roadsides and small platforms under trees, along with the puja waste.  

On the banks of river Gomti, Lucknow

People complain that bursting of crackers releases sulphur, aluminium, copper, nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide etc., or cause injuries. But tell me, how will the swanky luxury hospital chains stay in business? In the tough times of US tariffs, our pharma industry must have some hope of prosperity.

Not to forget the gifts- they challenge your creativity. You think of ways to either use them or dispose of them, e.g., that weighty metal decorative item, can be a perfect weapon if your life or limbs are under threat of intruder attack. You only have to dish out the lawyer’s robber-like fees to get away with the murder.  

How can I, a mere individual, contribute? I leave the disposal of garbage coming out of my flat, residential complex, locality and city to well-advertised, massive CSR campaigns. Diwali aftermath is the perfect once-a-year opportunity for companies to prove that they are concerned about the environment. Sanitation drives, lavish, lunch-fed seminars on environment protection, felicitating VIPs who matter to them, the whole rigmarole; am I not a great idea-generator?

If we do not generate garbage, how will our politicians get photographed with jhadus (brooms) in their hands?  

For animal-lovers, Diwali is prime time for taking their message across effectively that crackers are small panic machines for pets. But if we don't burst them, how will our children learn to celebrate? After all, watching Israel-Gaza and Russia-Ukraine does not provide enough adrenaline-rush in distant India.

Diwali fireworks pollution? No, they’re for fun: unlike the massive global pyrotechnics elsewhere. Yet nobody complains! 

This Diwali, ignore those who wish you a safe, sustainable, and joyful Diwali. They clearly lack imagination. Rise above that! Have a blast; figurative or literal, your choice.

Diwali aftermath photos: 1-Deccan Herald 2-kib.org.in
3- Deccan Chronicle 4-The Hindu

                                                                                             -Anupama S Mani