Street play warns pollution will make city unlivable

We are not saying that Diwali is bad. But we need to think about how Diwali was celebrated before the time of crackers, and learn from that.

NEW DELHI: Street play artists in the national capital hope that catchy music, punchy one-liners and some good old entertainment will help dissuade Delhi residents from using firecrackers this Diwali.

They are concerned about the deplorable air quality in the national capital, which historically deteriorates further during the festival of lights.

An international NGO, Clean Air Asia, in association with the World Wildlife Forum (WWF) organised nukkad nataks or street plays, titled “Saans-eDilli” or the “breath of Delhi,” at multiple locations in the city over the last two days.

The plays were held at Nehru Place, Dilli Haat, Hauz Khas village, Select Citywalk Mall, and Connaught Place, and aimed to raise awareness about how the firecrackers burst during festivals, especially Diwali, affects the environment.

The street play uses the premise of Diwali in a futuristic Delhi, which is now deserted as people have moved away due to the lack of breathable air.

They implore viewers to abandon firecrackers that not only choke Delhi residents with fumes and smoke, but are also a potential source of devastating fires, before it’s too late.

They predict an uninhabitable Delhi, if something isn’t done now. “Choddo Dilli! Zamaana yeh kahega,” they warned.

Geetanjali Kaushik, the air quality specialist at Clean Air Asia, said that “without proper intervention, people in Delhi will soon have to buy bottled air to breathe”.

When the play proclaimed “iski hawa mein zehar ghula hai,” they were not far off; breathing this polluted air is a health hazard. Doctors and commoners have reported an increase in respiratory diseases and other ailments owing to poor air quality.

Organizers and the artists, however, clarify that they are not suggesting that we stop celebrating Diwali.

“We are not saying that Diwali is bad. But we need to think about how Diwali was celebrated before the time of crackers, and learn from that,” said Steffi Xavier, Citizen Engagement Movements Coordinator, at WWF

One of the street play artists, Munna Kumar, probably says it best; “Pattake teri shaan, shaukat? Par Diwali tab bhi manti thi; jab ladiya nahin jalti thi.”