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Do Not Open The Gate

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The festivities are almost over
But the remnants of it still remain
As much as it brings happiness
Diwali does come with its share of pain

I still see sparkles in the sky
And hear the blast of a cracker or two
The air seems to have turned a different shade
This is what us humans always do

The dogs are still in hiding
Some of them are hurt and limping
It will take them days to recuperate
All because of one day's doing

The wind now carries a foul smell
You can barely look across it
A halo of dirt covers my eyes
Stinging and blinding me bit by bit

The bright lamps looked so beautiful
All that is now left is an oil trail
Every face that was decorated until today
Now looks all sullen and pale

The streets are filled with burnt crackers
Some of them are still emanating smoke
Somewhere in the joy of celebration
We have turned festivities into a joke

I hear an old man coughing hard
And I see a child with a bandaged eye
As I try to avoid watching them
I hear a sweeper's silent cry

Festivals are meant to be celebrated
But somewhere there needs to be drawn a line
Crackers need to be banned forever
Those selling and buying them should pay a fine

The amount of crackers burst equals status
People burn money to show off these days
I see parents helping children light bombs
Making them a part of this chaotic craze

If someone dares to speak up
It becomes a matter of prejudice and hate
The best thing you can do today is
Do not open your eyes or your gate

Comments

  1. Soumya, you have very well summarized the post Diwali damage. After a certain age I stopped bursting crackers and now I am really against it. Like you said we literally burn money . That's so stupid of people. So many people are dying hungry and we see so much money spent to create noise pollution. Arghhh!

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  2. Very interesting - sounds like crackers are a real problem during the holidays. It's a shame. :(

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  3. So true and well penned. I clicked a picture similar to this one the morning after Diwali and tweeted it. Well, while many shared that this is not being responsible, I also got some nasty replies. Point I am trying to make is, there are people who think this is how Diwali should be celebrated. Makes me sad to think where are we headed?

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    1. Seriously na? I felt so sad for the sweepers the next day. But then again, who cares?

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  4. I wish Diwali could be celebrated with more community spirit. Especially lightning crackers can be a community event, done at a common place with everyone being audience and not about personal show off. Nice poem.

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    1. That would be the best. Like the pandals during Durga Puja.

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  5. In the country I live, crackers are banned. However during festivals and on national day, there are cracker shows conducted at different locations that are non residential, which can be viewed from a distance from our cars. They are mindblowing...all the patters they form in the sky and disappear in a second. Noone gets hurt in the process :-)

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    1. That's so awesome! Do you think India would ever get there?

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  6. I fear this will never stop. Parents want the kids to 'enjoy'. They don't know whom they are hurting in the process.

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    1. Ditto! Parents are to be blamed somewhere as well.

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  7. This is the sad aftermath of one of my favorite festivals. I wish more people understood that Diwali will be just as beautiful (actually even more so) without the bombs and other dangerous firecrackers.

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