Bogi - First Day of Pongal

 Bogi is the first day marking the beginning of the four-day celebration of Harvest in Tamil Nadu. Hindus worship the Rain God today. And to mark the beginning of the new year post-harvest and thank God for all that went well. People from other religion participates mostly in the rituals which actually can start a day or two earlier. 

The day usually starts at 4 AM when the cold morning cold breeze is made warm with all the sorted out old unwanted waste that needs to be disposed of. This is really fun, as I still remember as a small school-going kid boys and girls used to get drums and have fun beating them around the fire. The boys used to be roaming the whole day playing with these drums. 

The drums used to be on sale decored in colors and some of them used to be even weightless. In my home, this used to be the time we usually clean up some unwanted stuff. 

Unfortunately, our anthropocentric lifestyle has led us to burn tyres that the whole essence of the festival contributed to carbon emissions not only with carbon dioxide but also with toxic fumes that the government has to stop the whole fun part of the festival. Needless to say, the climate is not that cold, and is already hot to burn the stub to keep ourselves warm. This is probably the last day of the winter solstice. The bonfire actually should have been fired using the logs of wood from old agricultural tools with a mark of respect that the new ones will serve them in the same way in the year to come. 

Another important aspect of this day's celebration is people used to draw big rice flour and flower patterns in front of the house called kolam. This is to mark to welcome good luck inside the house. I also remember that Hindus used to have the habit of placing a ball of cow dung with a pumpkin flower on top of it. My mother tells me that in her times they used to place this cow dung and flowers daily in front of their home. 

Many of our traditions are lost for people who wanted to celebrate in a big way showing off their status and grandiose for the scarcity of resources to carry out the customs and traditions of our lifestyle going missing due to urbanization that we foolishly resort to using scraps that only harm our environment. For example, the burning of tyres adds toxic fumes to the environment. We may not be able to burn bonfires unless we have waste that needs to be disposed of such as stubs or care for the environment. Then why not for a change we propose to give away old clothes to the needy and wood or such wastes for recycling, and only burn away the rest of those that cannot be reused or recycled for the festive fun!

SPARROWS: GETTING LOST IN METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY

House sparrows are one of the most commonly seen birds in the city in house roofs, sunshades and buildings and gardens. As per IUCN list they are of Least Concern, yet is on the verge of shifting to the vulnerable category at the rate that modernisation of metropolitan cities are affecting their niche in the cities and increasing shortage of food.  I still remember when I was a kid playing with sparrows and having them building nests at home and nearby garden. I have watched them hatch eggs and feed their chicks.

They belong to the family of Passer and are cosmopolitan entertainers of the city, though predominantly feeding on seeds, grains and small insects. They are unusually cute, small, plumpy little birds that are brown in colour with grey feathers in between their wings and tail with stubby and powerful beaks. Male house sparrows are brighter brown in colour, while the female sparrows are dull and grubby. Stripes of black, brown and buff on sparrows are the striking features of male sparrows.

House sparrows are very noisy and in groups they enjoy your garden and roofs, food and water. You could find their nests holes in your house roofs, bird’s nest, bird box, roof tops, traffic signals, shop sign boards and fences. They are found more common in human acquaintances and found mostly in the city and farmstead.

With the decrease in number of sparrows and spotting them becoming a rare occasion in daily life, March 20th, of every year has been declared as “World Sparrow Day”. This has been reported at various instances that the number of sparrows are slowly disappearing in the cities of United States, in India at major cities like Bangalore, Chennai and other metropolis. What usually happens on this day is a celebration by conservationists and environmentalists to host programmes for breeding and conserving sparrows by active individuals, national and international groups. The decline in number was first noticed in the year 1990s. Citizen Sparrow is a Citizen Science Programme and Education and Public Engagement Programme; Bring Back Sparrow is an environmental campaign initiated by an individual hailing from Bangalore, working as a full-time dentist, Dr. Harish Narayan and the implementation of Project Sparrow by a few students in Chennai. There are many such similar programmes working towards the cause for saving sparrows and in the year 2010 a stamp was released by the Indian Postal Department.

What you can do near your house?

Place a bird box and a feeder outside the garden or near the window or under the sunshade.

Water bowls and bird bath are some other option to invite and attract sparrows and is a conservatory measure.

Always try to have some space for garden at your home or apartment where you will find some niche for sparrows.

SPARROWS! You Will See A Chirpy Fulfilling Happiness Entering Your Home!

GREEN DIWALI CONCEPTS FOR 5 DAYS YEAR 2014

This year amazingly happened to find time in my records to take initiatives and work on my social media campaign for preventing the over use of crackers:

Eco-anti-cracker Campaign

GREEN DIWALI CONCEPTS!!!

Day 1: 

Use low noise producing crackers than exploding crackers – Join the cause “Low Toxic Dumping into the Environment”

Toxic gun powders are used in exploding crackers in which the combustible gas is released under pressure exploding the cardboard shell of these crackers with a loud popping noise.

Low noise producing crackers are those that display colourful fireworks which are as a result of mixing smaller amounts of gun powder with salts that gives colourful flames.

There is much more science to production of fireworks – but “gun powder” has been the killer to the labourers as well, besides toxic to the environment.

Let’s think twice before we decide what crackers to buy this season!!! HAPPY DIWALI FOLKS!!!

Day 2:

Family reunions - new clothes, sharing cherishing moments, following family rituals, sharing sweets and hot, spicy snacks and good menu on the platter from breakfast to dinner.

Diwali is once in a day in a year when you get an opportunity for family gathering and spend time together. These are the days as a nuclear family we hardly get time to spend with each other with ever raising demand of consumerism and economy to maintain our living standards. May be this Diwali you can try PLANNING YOUR DAY to spend time in or out with your family, more time with God and family, enjoy all the three meals of your day in peace (make it as long as possible) and what’s more than sharing your sweets and snacks with your kins, friends and neighbours – also enjoy sharing your cherishing moments in life (maybe as a parent you can introspect on your childhood days of Diwali) with your family…leave the taboo of gluing to Television if not CRACKERS habit on Diwali!!!

HAVE A LIVELY DIWALI Day!!!

Day 3:

Festival of lights and fireworks - Share and Care

Diwali is popularly called the “Festival of Lights” though for Tamil Nadu, “Karthigai Deepam” is the one during which people light clay oil lamps. However, many people I have known used to decorate their house with oil lamps as well on Diwali. So take some more of your time in the evening to arrange and décor your home or temple with these lamps. Thus, you will find something more fulfilling done on the day other than simply bursting crackers. Bursting crackers – if a status issue and pacifying your ego – don’t worry, share the crackers you have brought with “have not’s” and you will find something done more fulfilling and still you have spent more money on crackers than others. “HAVE A CARING AND SHARING DIWALI SEASON THIS YEAR!”

Day 4:

Lasting or Low in Toxic & Less-Smoke Fireworks?

Well again coming back to the pavilion of your cracker purchase – think twice! You have two options lying in front of you –

Option 1 : Exploding crackers not only produce more noise but most of you burst them in the morning for thrill and fun of who is waking up whom – ultimately you keep bursting those crackers for an hour or two continuously until religious rituals commences;

Option 2 : In contrast, this is a common habit to burst those noiseless cracker that produce smoke which wades away in a few minutes and do not smog by evening; and you have the option of keeping all the pests and mosquitoes off for one single evening and such an enjoyable moment to see bright and vivid colours. “HAVE A VIVID AND VIBRANT COLOURFUL DIWALI!!

Day 5:

What's more Joyful – Exploding or Fun Together?

Well, boys and girls – do your youth and adventure spirit rush into your blood and trigger your desire to burst exploding crackers – well guys and gals think twice??? Do you have pets? Do you have old people and children at home? Is anyone sick at home? Are they there at your neighbourhood? Then why do for just one day thrill and adventure you want to hurt someone? Of course, I am not asking not to burst exploding crackers – your fun is as well important; but check on the decibel limit where you burst and it’s a “BIG NO” to bombs legally at any place.

Try this! Reduce the amount of exploding crackers that you burst and have more fun bursting colourful firework displays which everyone at home and neighbourhood will enjoy – and that’s time spent well for the day. What’s more fun? What’s more fulfilling - your joy or having fun together? HAVE A FUN FILLED DIWALI WITH YOUR FRIENDS, KINS AND FAMILY!

So these concepts are the mark of the year to come!!!!

Join My Venture In Eco-Anti-Cracker Campaign – Less Noise!

When do we burst fire crackers? There are many occasions when we burst crackers with the main festival being the “Festival of Lights” called “Diwali” or “Deepavali”, other ceremonies like weddings, new year, political processions and processions for social cause besides other sad occasions to wade of evil spirits and for the soul to rest in peace. Most of the crackers that are burst in India is at the time of festival of Diwali. Diwali is also celebrated by lighting lamps and decorating houses with lights, besides other customs like sharing sweets and buying new dresses. Diwali is the festival celebrating the triumph of good over evil. Lighting of lamps also signifies the welcoming of Goddess Lakshmi.

However, with the changing trend in lifestyle this has become a monotonous custom that Diwali has becomes an indiscriminating celebration of bursting crackers from dawn to dusk. Hardly do people understand that they being involved in encouraging child labour in those companies located in areas of Sivakasi and Virudhunagar of TamilNadu, India where majority of the crackers are being manufactured.

But the locus of discussion over here is resting on the argument of overuse of crackers being bursted resulting in increased noise pollution to the environment.

The first part of the discussion will circle around the ill-effects of bursting crackers in perspective of noise pollution:

1. When you burst too much crackers continuously and that too those causing lot of noise this is going to disturb your neighbours who are babies, toddlers, small children, elderly, sick specifically heart patients, those who have psychological disturbances and sensitive ears.

2. The next affected are those lovely little ones at your home – pet animals: birds, dogs and cats are the most affected ones as they sense bursting cracker as a signal of danger and something abnormal to their regular life – leave alone those at your home – they will know that no harm is going to come and you can always let them know with your love and care – but think of those stray animals who do not have a home to hide and someone to show them there is nothing to be terrified of.

3. Besides if your house is located near hospitals, asylums and homes for the elderly, mentally challenged and animals; then you need to care.

4. The greatest challenge of noise pollution is not only disturbance and annoyance, but could also lead to “hearing loss”.

The second part of the discussion on the various laws amended and regulated to :

With the regulations in India is concerned the laws implementing the restriction on the use of crackers and blasting crackers will under two categories – those limiting the noise pollution and the other limiting the air pollution.

A classical example of taking stance on the enforcement of the amended law by Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and district administration led to the implementation of the audible limits restricting the use of crackers accordingly. Crackers causing loud noises have already been abandoned numbering to 93 different items. As per the order from Collector’s office the decibel limit for bursting crackers were implemented as outlined: http://www.tnpcb.gov.in/tnbcbambient.html . Furthermore, people violating the rules were warned of immediate custody and spot fine of Rs. 1, 000/. Time limit for bursting crackers has been confined between 6 : 00 AM to 10 : 00 PM. As an additional measure from the local administration side, people have also been informed to avoid bursting or take appropriate measures while bursting crackers in congested streets, near slums or animal sheds. I still remember the days of childhood when I got a rocket right at the bottom of my leg in the living room of our house in Chennai.

One of the other major problem that has to removed from the minds of those mischievous little kids who are not taught to learn to live with the environment is to avoid bursting crackers by tying them to the tails of dogs, cats, birds, insects like dragonfly and sometime calves.

However, drafting laws, words of enforcement and spreading information via campaign like media advertisements, sms and posters/ pamphlets will not do enough good in combating the changing trend of bursting crackers as the only way to celebrate Diwali. What is needed more is the follow up on the law enforced, in other words, real implementation and reporting of incidences in the media officially as a holistic data.

In the end, I am affirming on my point of view that there is nothing wrong in bursting crackers but the motto of joining this campaign is on “wise use on bursting crackers”. There is no cost involved in joining the Campaign!

“Bursting Crackers = Money Spent” maybe a status symbol today – but if you join here after having a thoughtful contemplation – this will become a “taboo” tomorrow; and you will have many ways to spend the amount saved and enjoy the Festival of Lights or any other occasion.

Let’s learn to keep the Earth Safe for our future generation and Save their Ears! 

Join Eco-Anti-Cracker Campaign!