Noise over Diwali noise

Come Diwali the noise about the noise of crackers in more pronounced as though it is being realized only now. Every year there are some objections to people firing crackers at night, authorities stipulating some norms and warning people of violations. It kills the joy out of celebration and festivals. It was so pronounced that few years back when some self styled guardians of public safety suddenly appeared before our apartment complex on a motorcycle, lighted a firecracker and just threw into the compound and sped away ! Their way of punishing the 'wrongdoers'!!

I do agree there has to be some reservations, restrictions and norms for firing crackers but should this be taken to extremes? After all it is a festival celebrated across major parts of the nation and should be respected atleast for its decades of observance. Have we suddenly realized that the noise levels are above the permissible levels of decibels? No user checks for the limitations or its violations when they use it. In which case, why can't such crackers be banned at the manufacturing point itself? Same is the case with pollution levels too. Please impose whatever restrictions that are required for people's welfare but don’t put the onus of its implementation on the users and shirk away from the authorities' responsibilities.

In every community, every religion and every belief there are few days when the celebrations / observance exceeds noise levels and are slightly on the higher side. I feel this must be tolerated. Otherwise how can one explain as to why should the public tolerate the noise of loudspeakers and crackers during election time. What about the unnecessary honking of horn by vehicles on the roads restricted due to hospitals and schools? Are all such vehicles being booked? What about narrow streets and street corners where there are speakers fitted for public meetings which disturb old people and students right from 5 PM upto near midnight?

Let us allow the children to celebrate and enjoy before they embark on the serious years of education, profession, family, money, worries, tension & stress. In their later years they will re-live the short periods of celebrations, which let us not kill.

In a society, there could be occasional acceptable excesses and with a better understanding they could be tolerated. It is such tolerance that has brought India, a nation of such diverse culture and beliefs to this great stature. It is amusing to find people suddenly waking up to these as such humongous hindrances and raise a big hue and cry, whipping up passions. Tolerance is the keyword for co-existence.