Celebrate festivals in a way that environment remains safe!
Tuesday - November 13, 2018 9:06 am ,
Category : WTN SPECIAL
WTN- President Ram Nath Kovind said the rising pollution levels in Delhi had led to difficulties in breathing and urged social organisations to create awareness about celebrating all festivals in such a way that it did not affect the environment.
Kovind made the remarks at the launch of a four-day global convention of the Arya Samaj where he praised the organisation for contributing towards finding a solution to various issues facing the country.
“In India, the time for winter festivals has arrived. At present, people in Delhi are having trouble breathing due to the increasing pollution levels in the city. Such a situation greatly impacts the elderly and children,” he said.
"Social organisations need to create awareness among people about celebrating all festivals in such a way that it does not affect the environment, and peace and brotherhood," he said. He hoped that the Arya Samaj would find alternatives to non-renewable energy and contribute towards protecting the environment.
He said society had to play its part in addressing pressing issues facing the country. "It makes me happy that the Arya Samaj is contributing towards finding a solution to these issues," he said. Arya Samaj has always been in the frontline of Hindu reformatory measures.
The decadence of Hinduism was first noticed and strongly felt by Dayanand Saraswati and he acted upon it to resurrect the great religion’s lost and forgotten heritage. Hence lies the importance of Arya Samaj founded by Maharshri Dayanand.
Though over the years the role and importance of Arya Samaj has diminished a bit in the national discourse, yet in the present context of narrow and violent Hinduism, the Samaj has a seminal role to play in raising awareness about the real meaning and beauty of Hinduism and how all embracing and accommodative it has been. If people realise and live the spirit of Hinduism and don’t waste their energy in futile nitty-gritty of blind beliefs and superstitions, their outlook about society and worldview will change for the better.
This is what Arya Samaj can do through its greater engagement with people and more influencing role in society and polity. Arya Samaj’s main motive has always been social regeneration and human evolution through a better understanding of the aspects of Hindu religion and its glory rather than mired involvement with religious restrictions and obsolete rules that stifle the freedom of the mind and its scope to accept and accommodate diverse views for its own enrichment.
This is the cornerstone of the Arya Samaji belief that sets it apart from other Hindu religious groups. Arya Samaj thus becomes a right vehicle in our time to propagate the fact that smoke and pollution has nothing to do with religion or religious sentiments. Ban and restriction on the use of crackers in Diwali is a practical need and for the ultimate benefit of all of us. Diwali can’t be compared with any other religious festival because at no other time of the year so much of firecrackers are burst at one time as in Diwali.
The harmful gases released by such bursting coagulate the air and make it unfit for breathing. In early winters as the wind flow is almost negligible the smoke hangs on low for hours and keeps entering our lungs, apart from impacting the environment. Children and animals are the most vulnerable.
We may or may not like to buy the argument but it is a scientific fact established by study after study and the situation has only worsened. The low lying smoke and gas hangovers above our urban spaces are carcinogenic and life snuffing which we should try by all means to lessen and remove.
Our air is already too toxic by vehicular and industrial smoke and there is no scope to add any more to it. Children as young as five or six years old are getting asthma and chronic lung ailments due to smoke. Animals and birds die or get sick due to the trauma and sound crackers cause.
Don’t they deserve a better life? Aren’t we responsible to worsen their condition by our exuberant cracker bursting spree? Our religious scriptures never mandate us to burst crackers on Diwali, which is basically a festival of lights signifying dispeller of darkness. Bursting crackers was only a later addition to pep up the celebrations and doing away with it won’t spoil the spirit and significance of Diwali in any way.
-Window To News
Kovind made the remarks at the launch of a four-day global convention of the Arya Samaj where he praised the organisation for contributing towards finding a solution to various issues facing the country.
“In India, the time for winter festivals has arrived. At present, people in Delhi are having trouble breathing due to the increasing pollution levels in the city. Such a situation greatly impacts the elderly and children,” he said.
"Social organisations need to create awareness among people about celebrating all festivals in such a way that it does not affect the environment, and peace and brotherhood," he said. He hoped that the Arya Samaj would find alternatives to non-renewable energy and contribute towards protecting the environment.
He said society had to play its part in addressing pressing issues facing the country. "It makes me happy that the Arya Samaj is contributing towards finding a solution to these issues," he said. Arya Samaj has always been in the frontline of Hindu reformatory measures.
The decadence of Hinduism was first noticed and strongly felt by Dayanand Saraswati and he acted upon it to resurrect the great religion’s lost and forgotten heritage. Hence lies the importance of Arya Samaj founded by Maharshri Dayanand.
Though over the years the role and importance of Arya Samaj has diminished a bit in the national discourse, yet in the present context of narrow and violent Hinduism, the Samaj has a seminal role to play in raising awareness about the real meaning and beauty of Hinduism and how all embracing and accommodative it has been. If people realise and live the spirit of Hinduism and don’t waste their energy in futile nitty-gritty of blind beliefs and superstitions, their outlook about society and worldview will change for the better.
This is what Arya Samaj can do through its greater engagement with people and more influencing role in society and polity. Arya Samaj’s main motive has always been social regeneration and human evolution through a better understanding of the aspects of Hindu religion and its glory rather than mired involvement with religious restrictions and obsolete rules that stifle the freedom of the mind and its scope to accept and accommodate diverse views for its own enrichment.
This is the cornerstone of the Arya Samaji belief that sets it apart from other Hindu religious groups. Arya Samaj thus becomes a right vehicle in our time to propagate the fact that smoke and pollution has nothing to do with religion or religious sentiments. Ban and restriction on the use of crackers in Diwali is a practical need and for the ultimate benefit of all of us. Diwali can’t be compared with any other religious festival because at no other time of the year so much of firecrackers are burst at one time as in Diwali.
The harmful gases released by such bursting coagulate the air and make it unfit for breathing. In early winters as the wind flow is almost negligible the smoke hangs on low for hours and keeps entering our lungs, apart from impacting the environment. Children and animals are the most vulnerable.
We may or may not like to buy the argument but it is a scientific fact established by study after study and the situation has only worsened. The low lying smoke and gas hangovers above our urban spaces are carcinogenic and life snuffing which we should try by all means to lessen and remove.
Our air is already too toxic by vehicular and industrial smoke and there is no scope to add any more to it. Children as young as five or six years old are getting asthma and chronic lung ailments due to smoke. Animals and birds die or get sick due to the trauma and sound crackers cause.
Don’t they deserve a better life? Aren’t we responsible to worsen their condition by our exuberant cracker bursting spree? Our religious scriptures never mandate us to burst crackers on Diwali, which is basically a festival of lights signifying dispeller of darkness. Bursting crackers was only a later addition to pep up the celebrations and doing away with it won’t spoil the spirit and significance of Diwali in any way.
-Window To News
