How to Celebrate an Immaculate Diwali

Adopt the Vocal for Local Approach

India’s honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the citizens that calls for an "Aatmnirbhar Bharat" or a self-reliant India is motivating, inspiring and to a great extent, empowering. 

It encourages Indians to buy locally manufactured products and also be vocal about it in order to spread this message further.

This campaign primarily stands for diverting attention towards local vendors rather than the online or big and fancy high end brands. It is not only limited to promoting Indian brands but it is more about supporting the local micro-businesses. 

When you purchase from these vendors you are actually placing bread on their table.

By advocating vocal for local, the idea is not to reject globalization; instead it is about opting for a new version of it. The current self-reliance vision for India is neither isolationist nor exclusionary. Improving productive efficiency and local manufacturing would enable us to compete with as well as help the world.

So the minute the thought of buying a new pair of earrings, shoes, clothes or even home décor runs through your mind, go for the handprints or a regional decorative, give a chance to the local shoe suppliers, boutiques, tailors, instead of big showrooms and try to let go of your favorite brands for a while, it would certainly not disappoint you. 

Celebrate an Eco-Friendly Diwali

Also known as ‘Green Diwali’, an eco-friendly Diwali can be categorized as a way of carrying out celebrations for the festival of lights with the lowest possible or minimum level of damage to mother earth. 

The idea is to save the environment which selflessly bestows upon us all sorts of natural resources that are necessary for our survival.

Activities such as bursting firecrackers not only cause pollution but are also detrimental to the health and well-being of the elderly, children, animals and those suffering from breathing problems like asthma. 

There are several people who tend to suffer from pollution-related ailments amid the festive season due to poor and unhealthy air quality.

It has also been cited that increasing levels of pollution would also prove to be severely damaging for the COVID 19 patients given that it has a visible effect on the lungs. 

Therefore, in the current context it becomes all the more important and necessary to celebrate Diwali in an environment friendly manner.

The following steps can be taken in order to make Diwali celebrations eco-friendly-

1. Use clay diyas instead of plastic ones.

2. Make sure that the lights used to decorate the house are either LEDs or solar decoration lights. This will save electricity consumption.

3. Use organic colors for designing a rangoli. Synthetic colors are harmful for the environment and toxic when inhaled.

4. Avoid bursting firecrackers at all costs. 

Don’t Forget to Stay Fit and Healthy During the Festive Season

You must make it a point to restrict yourself from binge eating sweets, deep fried snacks and all the food items which are high in mono-saturated fats and sugar. Do not make the mistake of linking eating with celebration. Socialize, mingle and visit your loved ones, keeping your health and fitness in mind.

Make sure that you stay hydrated at all points of time. This is a hard and fast rule and something that should not be evaded or trivialized. 

Drinking the right amount of clean water removes and flushes out the toxins from the body and an added benefit is that it also helps during hangovers for all those post-late night parties.

Another important step in this direction would be to limit your intake of coffee or tea, in place of these caffeinated drinks, some sensible choices would surely be nimbu pani, jal jeera or fresh fruit juice. 

Such measures will help in avoiding those extra calories. Also, abstain from fizzy aerated drinks that are extremely high in additives and sugars.

Along with practicing strict diet control one must not forget to exercise. It is one of the most important parts of a healthy routine. 

Daily exercise of at least 30-40 minutes ensures a healthy mind and body. Cardio workouts in particular assist in burning off the extra calories that are gained throughout the festivities.


Give Back to the Needy and Underprivileged 

From the perspective of a homeless child, a shelter is nothing but a home. Try to visit them with smiles and gifts. The festival should bring them joy as well. 

Carrying simple toys, some useful items like coloring pencils, notebooks, pens and other stationery won’t cost much. Such an initiative can give them a glimpse of an ideal childhood.

Instead of spending lavishly on commodities, donate to an NGO. 

There are several Community based organizations that work towards eradicating social evils like human trafficking, violence, abuse, malnutrition, and many more, and are in direct need of resources. This festive season, do your part and make the society a better place.

We must also not forget all those who work day and night for us, these people include our drivers, house helps, security guards and other workers who provide their labor for our day to day activities. 

Paying them a little extra so that they can also have their share of celebration will not burn a hole in our pockets.

With the tiniest of effort we can light up another life. From the vantage point of an underprivileged person, the slightest help or assistance with respect to finances or day to day expenditures would surely go a long way in providing them relief. 

After all, festivals should not just be about us and our own preferences.


Written by - Isha Singh 

Edited by - Sandhya R