Each year huge effigies and firecrackers mark the victory of good over evil in Delhi-NCR, as part of the great Dussehra celebrations. Needless to say, it adds to the already poor AQI and also increases noise pollution. But in the Covid-19 pandemic, quite a few inhabitants will usher in the spirit of this festival in an ecological way.
Burning Ravana, digitally
With the restricted Ramlila celebrations in Delhi-NCR, to curb the impact of Covid-19, many locals have in mind to avoid crowded places and thus have found an innovative solution to witness Ravana dahan. Akanksha Pandey, a housewife from North Delhi, says: “At home all these months, my husband and I have been teaching our 5-year-old daughter our mythology. But we do not think it is safe for her to go to a crowded place to witness Ravana’s dahan. So, we have decided to do a digital story of Ramlila with voiceovers from her grandparents, at the end of which we will burn an effigy of Ravana on the computer screen! We want our daughter to know our culture and we also want her to grow up with ecological values, celebrating all festivals in a green way ”.
An effigy, you can eat too!
“Instead of noise and air pollution, if you can let good win with a token cake, why not?” – Prabhkeen Kaur, a Delhi-based baker
“Instead of using plastic, paper or cookies, I will bake a Ravana cake and cut it to celebrate Dussehra this year,” says Prabhkeen Kaur, a baker from Hari Nagar. “In recent years, I have seen people making effigies of Ravana out of plastic and that causes so much pollution in my town. So this year I take the green route. Furthermore, it is the need of the moment, since the pandemic has taught us the values of a clean and healthy environment ”, he adds. Shortly after he posted a photo of his Ravana cake online, people have also asked him to bake it for them. Kaur feels that the cake has an important purpose; allowing her and her family to remain safe at home and yet revel in the festive fervor. She says, “Instead of noise and air pollution, if you can let good win with a token cake, why not?”
Some children are making their own effigies of Ravana from recyclable materials.
Learn and create your own effigy of Ravana
An eco-friendly lifestyle should be passed on to our children and therefore it is of great importance to celebrate festivals like Dussehra in an environmentally friendly way. This is what led members of The Stagecrackers, a Gurugram-based group, to organize a Ravana effigy-making class for young people, via a mobile app. “Pollution in Delhi is a widespread problem, and we want to teach our children to keep their environment safe,” says Nidhi Lamba, founding member of the group and resident of Gurugram’s DLF Phase 2, adding: “Due to the pandemic, parents are unwilling to physically participate in Dussehra celebrations. So, we are organizing an online class for children to make Ravana’s faces at home with simple, recyclable materials. This will keep them engaged and also help them to learn about the relevance of the Dussehra festival. ”
Author Tweets @bhagat_mallika
Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter
.
