Social media makes ‘Thain Thain’ Diwali mainstream

NEW DELHI: Taking a cue from Uttar Pradesh police, whose cops were heard mimicking the sound of gunfire while trying to apprehend some miscreants, a Facebook page has invited Delhiites to celebrate Diwali by shouting ‘Thain Thain’, instead of bursting crackers. By Tuesday evening, at least 7,000 people were “interested” in adopting this eco-friendly way of celebrating the festival of light.

The event page, created on October 22, asks people to assemble at Central Park in Connaught Place on November 4 and shout ‘Thain Thain’. The main idea is for people to “make some noise and enjoy themselves” without generating any air pollution, said the organiser, who goes by the name ‘The Wander Bottle’ on Facebook.

The page administrator, Satyam Aggarwal, is a 24-year-old freelance cinematographer and travel blogger from Delhi. Aggarwal says he has been promoting Green Diwali for the last two years through his Facebook page, but his ideas never went “mainstream”.


The bizarre 13-second viral video, which inspired Aggarwal to create the event, showed Sambhal sub inspector Manoj Kumar shout out ‘thain thain’ to scare miscreants after his pistol had jammed. UP police had even decided to reward the SI for his “valour” and sent his name to the DGP for a commendation disc and certificate.

Delhiites, however, can shout out the “bravery chant” under much less dangerous circumstances by attending the event, says Aggarwal, who has also planned a fundraiser to make Diwali a little “brighter” for underprivileged kids. “The funds will be used to make packages containing sweets, cakes and then donated to children,” he said, adding that his only wish is that this ‘thain thain’ Diwali can make Delhiites realise the risks associated with global warming.