It’s that time of the year when AQI become the topic for drawing-room discussions. AQI, or Air Quality Index, measures the quality of cleanliness of the air we breathe. Post-Diwali, the AQI in most of the places touches alarming numbers.
AQI Delhi – 350 / 121
AQI Mumbai – 340 / 156 moderate
Karnal – 471
Celebrating festivals is a time for joy and happiness, spreading good cheer and bringing communities together, especially Diwali which has acquired global recognition. It’s celebrated every year even in the White House and at 10 Downing Street!
It’s a cultural milestone that needs to be celebrated with gusto and enthusiasm.
And this lesson needs to be passed on to the younger generations.
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Focus on Cultural Appreciation, Not Just the Festivities:
The need of the hour is to focus on teaching children the “why” behind the celebrations. Diwali doesn’t mean new clothes and bursting crackers. It’s much more than that.
Children will connect with their culture on a more meaningful level if they understand the deeper significance of the festival.
Parents must try to enlighten them about the origin of the festival through stories from different regions and communities. Tell them how its celebrated across diverse parts of India and their distinctive traditions. This will help broaden their horizons and improve their appreciation and acceptance of others. It’s all about developing inclusivity.
Involve the children in activities like decorating rangoli, diya making or cooking traditional foods.
It will engage the children and get them excited about the true essence of the festival. They’ll appreciate the culture and traditions without complaining!
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Emphasise the Importance of Bonding with Family and Community:
Festivals is all about spending time with family and friends. Focus on this aspect so the children understand the meaning behind the celebrations instead of focusing on just the material aspects.
Grand displays of wealth or opulence is not the objective of the celebrations; on the contrary, it’s about spending time with near and dear ones – the best form of wealth.
Celebrating with the community, friends and family builds stronger bonds.
Relish the joy of sharing by distributing sweets or giving clothes to the less privileged. It develops empathy and compassion and teaches humility.
It adds a more meaningful dimension to the celebrations.
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Encourage Eco-Friendly Celebrations:
Another essential lesson to be taught is about creating awareness about the environment.
Bursting firecrackers may be fun but look at the extensive air and sound pollution caused by them. As parents, it’s your responsibility to teach them to look after the environment which they’ll inherit soon.
Explore and introduce the children to alternative ways to celebrate the festival. Together you can make eco-friendly and beautiful diyas, paint them with vibrant colours and decorate them. They make for amazing, personalised gifts also. Diyas were traditionally used to light the house during Diwali, not the electric lights.
Explain the significance of the traditional diyas which symbolise hope and bring positivity without harming the environment.
And if you must burst firecrackers, then consider using the greener options which have lower emissions. Or maybe even replace them with sparklers or other quieter alternatives. Educate them about how the damage is larger than what’s visible for them to understand the gravity of the situation.
Start a Diwali tradition – plant or adopt a tree. Many NGOs are working towards increasing the green cover and you can contribute to it. This will teach them about being both mindful and responsible.
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Teach Mindful Consumption:
Festivals like Diwali are about going overboard with excessive shopping, decorations and indulgent food.
Change this misconception by showing children how to celebrate in a mindful manner, spending sensibly and restricting indulgences.
Encourage use of natural or reusable decorations. They can use leaves, flowers or recycled paper for making cards, rangoli or decorations.
These DIY creations can be used for gifting purpose also. They can also make candles of different fragrances and shapes and designs, which can be used for lighting the house or for gifting. Personalised cards and potted plants also make for thoughtful gifts.
Celebrating any festival becomes more enjoyable if done with others, not alone. Teach them to celebrate mindfully, cutting down the waste.
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Promote Responsible Clean-Up and Disposal:
Finally, teach them about clean-up after the celebrations. They must understand the importance of cleaning up and responsibly disposing off the waste. This will definitely create awareness about the amount of waste being generated and will make them more mindful and careful during celebrations.
Children learn about recycling materials like paper, glass and metal through hands-on activity on waste segregation where they sort the items into different recycling bins.
Teach them to build a compost pit where the flowers, leaves and biodegradable decorations used during the festival can be collected.
Kids need to learn to be responsible during celebrations, and after that. Make cleaning up a part of the tradition and celebrations.
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Lead by Example:
Responsibility or mindful celebrations need not be boring. They can instead infuse fresh ideas which generate opportunities for the entire family to be involved together in something exciting.
With a little effort and creativity, celebrating festivals can become more than just occasions for crass consumerism.
Let the children watch you make conscious choices – opting for ecofriendly décor, limiting the fireworks, avoiding plastic. What you do will leave an everlasting impression on their minds and inspire them to practice what you’re attempting to teach them.
Along with actions, explain your actions. It will clear their doubts about topics like pollution, waste and environmental conservation. Only if they understand why and what you want them to do, will they be willing to follow it.
You can use age-appropriate language to explain the issues. Show them the consequences of pollution or conservation of environment.
Explain to them the reasons behind the mindful choices and actions. It’s the only way to show them you mean what you say.
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Conclusion:
With a little effort and creativity, we can celebrate our festivals in a way that not only brings joy but also instils a sense of responsibility and mindfulness in the next generation.
Celebrations need not be boring or drab family occasions. Infuse fresh energy with unique mindful ideas which brings together everyone.
When children learn to celebrate the festivals with respect for the environment, for the family values and appreciate the cultures and traditions, only then can you be rest assured that you’ve passed on the baton to the next generation.
You’ve to build a mindset where they do not feel like celebrating festivals with a sense of responsibility diminishes the joy of celebrating together. Let them see that it instead enriches the experience and brings everyone together.
Let’s build a new tradition of mindful celebrations, paving the way for a brighter, more sustainable future. We owe it to our children.
