Let there be light, not fright or blight

Diwali has always been about good triumphing over evil, no matter that the two qualities are increasingly getting confused for the other. But, surely, cardiac-popping noise - 'the louder the better' - can't be the ambassador of any kind of goodness? With unbridled bursting of crackers comes breathing difficulties, cardiovascular problems and stress. Why not reclaim the festival of lights tomorrow and reshape it to its true spirit, making caring for public good part and parcel of having fun?

What was once a celebration of illumination has increasingly become a hyper-competitive exercise in decibels and combustion, where the loudest bang apparently signifies the phattest fun. Somewhere along the way, light lost its billing to smoke and noise. It's time to reclaim Diwali - not by purifying it into some joyless, government-approved cultural ceremony, but by gloriously adulterating it. Tradition survives best when it evolves. Let diyas flicker alongside dazzling electric lights, LEDs perform their little miracles, balconies compete in luminous extravagance, and neighbourhoods turn into cheerful constellations. Add music, food, laughter and teen patti to make your decked-out Diwali festive without making it literally breathless.

The argument is against confusing enjoyment with assault. Children, senior citizens, animals and those with respiratory ailments should not have to spend a festival seeking refuge from other people's happiness. Nor should anyone's right to revel require everyone else's compulsory participation in a miniature war. A brighter Diwali certainly need not be a quieter expression of joy. It merely needs to distinguish between lighting up the night and blowing it up. Progress, sometimes, is knowing which fuse not to light.