Which side of the Diwali debates are you on?

The deliberation that goes into Diwali all boils down to whether you want to go down the new path or the traditional one.

Diwali is a time of sweets, firecrackers and lights,but these very things also make it a time of discussions, dilemmas, and decisions. Following tradition, health concerns, noise pollution and scared pets are all factors that influence your Diwali. We present some of the Diwali debates that are present in every house during the festive season.

Diyas or lights?

Diwali is a festival of lights, but the choice of lights has become a subject of much debate in recent times. "I always go for diyas over lights because they look prettier. Lights look artificial. When you get a day to save your electricity, why won't you? It's the only time when you can light your house with diyas. I love putting them at every corner of my house and inside the rooms. I then switch off the lights to see how beautiful it is looking," explains Sushant Agrawal, a lawyer.

Nishi Sharma Malhotra, who resides in Sector 57, Gurgaon, says, "I've been using diyas instead of fairy lights, but my reason isn't just saving the environment. The need of the hour is helping our economy in any way we can. Instead of buying lights made in China, I would rather go for diyas made in India. The aim is to buy things made locally, so you keep your money in your country. One might think that diyas are more costly than fairy lights, but then, fairy lights take up a lot of electricity and you end up spending that much anyway."

Shefali Goyal, another resident of Gurgaon, shares with us, "I prefer diyas over fairy lights any day. One reason for this is the nostalgia attached to it. When I was growing up, diyas and candles were the only things used for decorations and the house used to look so beautiful. Then came the trend of colourful Chinese lights, which I feel don't look good at all. My house looks beautiful with a simple row of diyas."

"We prefer lights. With diyas and candles, you have to be alert all the time. Agar hawa chal rahi hai toh, dekho kaun sa diya bujh gaya. Also, you have to light a diya or candle every hour or two, depending on how much oil there is or how thick your candle is. Ek baar lights on karo, toh phir koi tension nahi rehta. We keep candles as our backup plan if there is a power cut on that day. The electronic lights free you from doing unnecessary work," says Manish Shukla, an assistant engineer.

"The Chinese fairy lights are beautiful, affordable and pollution-free. In Gurgaon, the apartments are closed and diyas create smoke. The oil these days is mostly adulterated, which results in too much smoke, so there's always a chance of the fire alarm going off. The only solution is a ghee diya, but you can't decorate your entire house with ghee diyas. I keep the ghee diyas for my puja thali, but that's about it. I use fairy lights for decorating my house as they don't use too much electricity," says Aditi Saai Raam, who lives in DLF Phase 5.

Pragya Pandey adds, "Diyas just burn for a few hours. If you go out somewhere, when you come back, the diyas are out. I really hate seeing a dull house on Diwali, so I make decorative lights using zero watt bulbs. The anti-China products drive is really taking steam, so we're making our own lights."

Crackers or silent Diwali?

While eco-friendly ways are catching on quickly in most places, a Diwali without firecrackers seems unthinkable to some. So it's natural that many people face the dilemma of having a 'real Diwali' or an environmentally friendly one. "In schools, kids are asked to make posters and take a pledge that they won't be bursting crackers during Diwali. My kids are all for a cracker-less Diwali, but the elders feel that it is inauspicious not to burn crackers on the day of the festival. So we have bought crackers like phuljharis, chakris and anaars that only emit light and don't create any sort of noise pollution. This way, both the elders and kids are satisfied," says Mitali Kumar, a homemaker who resides in Greater Kailash.

"Many people say that crackers create air pollution. But I like bursting crackers. After all, it is just once a year. And everything within limits is okay. Bursting a few crackers won't harm anyone. Mere akele crackers na jalane se air pollution kam nahi hoga. Agar main pollution ki soch ke crackers na jalaun, mere padosiyon ko kaun samjhayega? There are crackers which create less pollution. Why not use them instead of not using crackers at all?" asks Shivam Anand, a senior accounts manager.

"When everyone will be boasting about the money spent on crackers, I don't want to look out of place saying that I'm having a silent Diwali. I'm anyway not harming anyone's pet or the stray dogs. Why shouldn't I burst crackers then?" asks Sushant*, a school student.

However, some people are ready to ditch the firecracker-filled Diwali for a noiseless one. "I recently got a pet, Dobby, and for the last few days, he has been quite discomfited because of the loud noise of crackers. I have never been in favour of bursting crackers, but this year, even my younger brother, who loves loud crackers, has decided to go for a cracker-less Diwali. We can't ask others to not celebrate Diwali the way they want to, but at least we can opt for a festival sans crackers," shares Nisha Nagpal, a DU student.

"Our health minister is advocating a silent Diwali, but his own party members celebrated the victory of the BJP in Maharashtra and Haryana with crackers. Isn't that hypocritical? Asking us to remain silent on Diwali while they burst crackers even when it's not Diwali? I advocate a silent Diwali because I have a small kid who gets scared and starts crying whenever he hears the crackers. We celebrate Diwali with just phuljharis and diyas. Not bursting crackers doesn't mean you are poor or you don't have money to show off. It is just how you want to celebrate it," says Rishabh Kumar, an HR manager.

Nidhi Gupta, a resident of Sector 50, Gurgaon, adds, "It was because of my son's school that we stopped bursting crackers. My son told us four years ago told us that he doesn't want to burst crackers anymore because the noise of the crackers scares the animals and creates pollution. He was taught this in school and it changed the way we celebrated Diwali. Now our 'cracker time' is replaced with more family time."

Chocolate or mithai?

It's no question that Diwali would be incomplete without sweets. But the chocolates-vs-mithai issue is something that requires a certain amount of hashing out. "I got married recently, and this is going to be my first Diwali with my in-laws. Had I been at my parents' place, I would have insisted on gifting chocolates to everyone. People love chocolates. Also, it is easy to choose a box of chocolate over a mithai ka dabba. But I'm at my in-laws' house and I don't want them to taunt me later, saying, 'Aate hi changes laane lagi'. They always gift desi-ghee ke mithai, so I'll stick to their tradition only," says Niharika Gupta*, a web developer.

Prachi Bhutani, a resident of DLF Phase 2, Gurgaon, says, "I am a doctor, and trust me, the fat and sugar in chocolates is bad and can also give you acne. Moreover, chocolates are high in calories. I prefer making sugar-free mithais at home. For instance, you can easily make kheer without sugar. Also, khoya sweets can also be made at home, which are sugar free."

Yet, the chocolate lovers are sticking to their guns regardless of what others may be doing. "Whenever Diwali is around the corner, we are always discussing whether we should gift our friends mithai or chocolates. My daughter is always insistent on gifting chocolates because she says everyone likes chocolates. Plus, they come in a lot of varieties. But I feel that going to someone's house without a dabba of moti-choor laddoos doesn't look good on Diwali. So, we buy chocolate gift packs for my daughter's friends, while sticking to the regular mithai dabbas for our family friends," says Anupama Jain, a homemaker in Gurgaon.

"Last year, we got so many sweets that they lasted for a month. We distributed some to our maids because no one wanted to eat them at our place. This time, I am going to gift chocolate boxes because chocolates are something that everyone eats. And even if you don't like them, you have kids in your family or your building complex who could eat them. It is not a waste. Also, gifting chocolate would be a hint to my friends that even I'd prefer chocolates, instead of those ghee-laden mithais," adds Sujata Das*, a teacher.

Visiting family or not

There's also the issue of visiting each relative during the holiday or having a common get together. "Diwali gifting is a custom in our family, and the whole idea behind it is to make sure that everyone steps to visit their relatives. Diwali is the only time we actually go visit everyone in our family at their houses. Otherwise, you meet at a common place outside of the house. Everyone decorates their homes and it's good for them to invite others, who will then appreciate all their efforts. The gifts are just a reason to make sure this doesn't stop. One doesn't have to make it a very expensive affair because it's the gesture that counts. Formality hi samajh ke log kam se kam ghar se toh nikalte hain,"explains Anita Kalsi, who works in a government office.

"I don't get the point of going to every relative's house in the limited time just to give them gifts. The traffic is out of control in the days leading to Diwali. You spend hours trying to reach someone's house and then spend just a few minutes there. Instead, our family has decided to meet in one place before Diwali, where everyone can spend time together and have a good family evening. The money that would have been spent in formality-waale gifts can be used to divide the bill equally, and at least, we'll all have a good Diwali together," says Rishabh Jain, who works with a dance school.

(*Names changed on request)

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