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Every Diwali, Delhi becomes a paradox – it turns into a celebration and a sentence. The city's skies explode with firecrackers, pushing the Air Quality Index (AQI) into the "severe" zone. Hospitals brace for surging respiratory cases. Asthma attacks, bronchitis and heart complications are triggered as toxic metals from firecracker emissions settle into the lungs.But, despite blanket bans and health warnings, Delhi residents persist, shrouding the capital in smog. On Tuesday, after a night of revelry, many areas saw AQI levels breach 400, despite court-mandated restrictions. The air quality had already dipped to 'very poor' in the lead up to Diwali, with a thin layer of haze surrounding the capital.The health stakes are stark. Firecrackers release fine particulate matter and toxic chemicals, contributing up to 30% of Delhi's post-Diwali pollution spike. RITUALS AS IDENTITY: A DEADLY DANCE?Why do the residents of Delhi, armed with this knowledge, cling to a practice so visibly harmful? This defiance isn't mere recklessness, it is a window into the psyche of people caught between tradition, social pressures, and systemic distrust..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}At its core, the insistence on firecrackers is rooted in cultural identity. Bans and restrictions, even when life-saving for some, are seen through the prism of religion and traditions.For many, firecrackers symbolise Diwali's triumph of good over evil, even though it is primarily a festival of lights. Crackers are a later addition.Yet, they are tied to tradition and nostalgia — memories of lighting sparklers as children, of neighbourhoods alive with shared joy. Banning them feels like stripping away heritage, curtailing cultural identity, especially in an urban landscape where modernisation already erodes traditions.Unfortunately, when cultural practices double as identity markers, change feels like erasure and faces resistance based on emotions, not rational thinking. People walk wearing face masks at a park amidst smog on the day after Diwali (Reuters) PERFORMATIVE FESTIVITY: A DEADLY GAMEDiwali is a public spectacle of wealth and purchasing power, and firecrackers are its loudest stage. Neighbourhoods turn into arenas of one-upmanship, with families vying to outdo each other's displays. But this isn't celebration, it's performance, driven by social pressure to prove festive spirit or social standing.Even those aware of health risks — middle-class professionals, educated youth — often yield to the collective tide. Group dynamics override individual rationality, a trait amplified by lack of concern for the environment, and health hazards.Defiance also stems from the belief that a ban is anyway not going to work – people will flout it and the government will look the other way.Delhi's firecracker bans are undermined by inconsistent policing and thriving black markets. In 2024, illegal sales flourished in border towns, with vendors openly flouting restrictions.PEOPLE VS GOVERNMENT: A DEADLY CONTESTBut, the biggest reason is government incompetence, which leads to competitive apathy. The governments try to impose restrictions, while residents question the state's sincerity: Why target Diwali when stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana contributes up to 40% of winter pollution? Why focus on households when industrial emissions and diesel vehicles pollute year-round?This selective enforcement breeds cynicism, positioning the use of firecrackers as rebellion against a system perceived as hypocritical. It is less about denying pollution's harm and more about rejecting what feels like unfair scapegoating.Bans without affordable substitutes feel like a poor game of passing the buck, fueling resistance. As a result, awareness campaigns heavy on AQI data fail to resonate emotionally, preaching to the converted while alienating traditionalists who feel lectured.BOILING FROGS: A DEADLY MINDSETThe insistence to burst crackers can best be explained by the boiling frogs syndrome – the inability to understand long-term dangers because of incremental changes. Firecrackers offer instant joy – like the initial warmth of boiling water – while pollution's harms are abstract, cumulative, and delayed.REIMAGING DIWALI: TOWARDS A NEW LIGHTThe insistence on firecrackers reflects a society protective of joy, community, and identity in a rapidly changing environment. It also exposes a society preferring tradition to survival.To shift this mindset, India needs more than bans — it needs a mass revolution, a cultural reset. We need to understand that traditions have to be in tune with time, place and environment.Sticking to hazardous practices just to assert identity is mindless rigidity. This Diwali has given enough evidence of the harmful effects of crackers. The way forward is complete abstinence.The government can help make Diwali cleaner with subsidised green crackers, and strict action against illegal supply chains.Enforcement must match responsibility. Crackdown on crackers should accompany measures to curb systemic pollution because of stubble burning and vehicular emissions.But above all, reframe the narrative: a greener Diwali isn't loss, but a modern expression of ancient values — light over darkness, life over harm. If light is symbolic of wisdom, perhaps now is the time to let it illuminate our choices too.- EndsPublished By: Abhishek DePublished On: Oct 21, 2025Must Watch
