Navin Prabhakar: It is our responsibility to take care of the animals around us during Diwali

Comedian Navin Prabhakar says that there are enough reasons as to why there is so much pollution, and Diwali is not the only reason behind it. He says that low-impact crackers barely create smoke and there is no harm in including these in celebrations. 

“This year we are planning to go abroad or Jim Corbett after celebrations. We celebrate the festival of lights, that is Diwali at our home only. We worship Goddess Lakshmi and have a get together. There are also Diwali house parties. For the past 16-17 years, I have been celebrating Diwali this way,” he says, adding, “During my childhood, we used to burst crackers to celebrate the festival. Now, our Diwali also includes lots of sweets, and love. Seeking blessings from the elders, having fun with our friends, is what Diwali is all about for us. So, you know without sweets, crackers and people, Diwali is just incomplete. Diwali is the beginning of the new year for Indians, so we celebrate it with new clothes and new things. I think we can't have Diwali without a few crackers because that's how we have been celebrating it for years.”

He says. “I would like to raise a question to people who talk about noise pollution only during the festive seasons. For me, even I don't like such bombs or crackers during Diwali that make noise, but when it comes to small firecrackers that we have been using since childhood, I think they don't create much noise while bursting. With time we have understood that noise pollution is not good for our environment. So it's our responsibility to take care of the animals around us during Diwali. It's our duty to not use crackers which create much noise. So, for Diwali, I think we should greet people with love, wear new clothes, eat lots of sweets and worship Goddess Lakshmi together.”

Talking about Diwali shopping, he says, “When it comes to shopping for Diwali, we buy new clothes, and things required for performing Lakshmi Puja. So, shopping includes everything new that would bring positivity in our home. With a new hope we welcome the new year. We hope that the new year brings lots of happiness and good health in our lives. With that thought we meet people and greet them. To celebrate such a festival that has a totally different aura, we start performing Puja with everything new and end it with lots of sweets and love.”

Food and clothes are a big part of Diwali, he says, adding, “I love to eat Imarti or Karanji (in Marathi), Kaju Katli, Besan ke laddoo, and we exchange diyas with each other during Diwali. As for Diwali clothes, I wear colourful silk kurtas during festivals. I love colourful things. Every festival has a significance in our Hindu culture. So, I go for new silk kurtas as they make me feel great.”

Festive time is fun, but hectic too, he says, adding, “Yes of course, for the last 15 to 16 years, I have been getting great opportunities to work on OTT and other platforms. I used to be very tense earlier but now I am not so tense. So, I have been celebrating Diwali with my family at our home for the last 4-5 years. It feels great to celebrate any festival with our loved ones. I don't prefer to go anywhere for those 5 days of diwali. After 5 days we plan to go somewhere. This year we are planning to go to a good traveling point in India. We love to travel and explore nature.”