Diwali - The blasted festival!!

I hate Diwali! not that i have anything against the festival itself... but i simply detest the way it is celebrated... bursting & blasting all the way! i really cannot fathom what kind of pleasure people derive from listening to loud explosions & inhaling clouds of smoke!! i sometimes wonder whether the people adding a dose of fire to the cracker rolls are actually DEAF & "DUMB"!!Diwali days only remind me of:

1) the agony & fear engulfing my doggies, who seek refuge on my dad's lap or sometimes on top of his head (assuming that it is the safest place on earth!)

2) the wailing kid next door who regrets having come out of the secure cosy interiors of his/her mother's womb, just to be threatened by loud, terrorising & intimidating noises and sparks in this strange world outside!!,

3) the ailing grand old people inhabiting the "Home" who shudder at every thundering Atom bomb/1000 wala & at every whizzing rocket taking the life out of their serene yet insecure self!!

4) the incessantly coughing ME, owing to suffocating smoke & odour penetrating the house, from the dark, fuming streets!!

Are we humans?? Cant we think of the trouble we are giving to fellow creatures, the amount of harm we are doing to the environment, the amount of cash that is going down the drain, when we so haughtily & joyously burst these crackers in public??!!! Every year, we get messages like "Wish you a happy & safe Diwali!" But, why the hell, do we need wishes or warnings like this? wont it be better if we just refrain from indulging in such violent & immature celebrations? Is this the only way one can express joy?? hmm... the other day, my uncle who had come back from Germany, was fretting that he was not allowed to take even a pressure cooker with him... coz these things are completely banned in Germany, considering the "Noise pollution" it causes!! Can u just believe it? i wonder how a German would feel if he were to witness these horrible explosions & awful smoke layer enveloping the environment, in the name of a festival called Diwali!!

My neighbour was telling me that he had purchased crackers worth Rs.4000 this year, but it had all got over in just 2 days! and so he intended to go out for his next bulk purchase and show off to everyone that he too is "celebrating"!! Yuckkk!!! How stupid!! Does anyone know that the labourers at Sivakasi who make these "blasted" crackers get only 5 or 10 Rs. a day as wages... while we spend enormous amount of our hard earned money on just setting fire to these chemical commodities in the name of celebration?? Instead, cant we give at least a fraction of this money to the Bihar flood victims, the families of those killed in bombblasts or even the poor workers involved in this Fireworks trade?? im sure these poor yet skilled labourers will be able to think of alternative occupation only if this Fireworks industry is shut down completely!! What do they benefit out of this occupation as such?? a mere peanuts for salary... and a host of health problems!! they send their kids too to this cursed job just because the entire family/clan has been doing this since ages of yore! When will these children ever get a relief from this sickening work? Dont they too deserve to lead a decent & healthy life like any of us??

hmmm.... these are just droplets from my thought stream.... there might be quite a number of people who disagree with these views... may be even wanting to light a cracker attached to my posterior & send me to heaven/hell.... but all i can say to you folks is Live in Peace, only then you can "Rest in Peace"!! Be a human first, then you can be an Indian!! Amen!

P.S.: If there are other festivals/ocassions that are celebrated in similar ways, then i proudly declare that i hate them too... with all my heart & might!! All these only add shame to our existence & so-called-evolution from our ancestors!!