This year’s flood of environment damage is coming along. Ganesh chaturthi, Navratri, Dusshera, Diwali….. I have nothing against the gods or culture, but I do have a lot against people who will use the earths resources like we have a spare planet or two to move to when we finish wrecking this one.

The coming months are going to see big time abuse of land, water-bodies and air in India.

As the Monsoon madness takes the Mumbai region by storm, I am reminded of my dark frustrations that led me to write Love the outdoors to death one of my dark, out-of-character venomous pieces on the general masses heading to the outdoors.

Each year, post Ganesh Visarjan, its a sorry site to see debris from the revered idols littering the beaches where broken fiberglass and plaster of paris limbs lie orphaned like the aftermath of a cosmic bomb. Each year, organizations struggle to raise awareness of nature and eco-friendly options, and we see some movement in that direction, though the largest messes – the public celebrations remain where they were.

Then is the season of the loud music and litter – Navratri and Dusshera. I have never figured out where the litter comes from. Decorations, broken bottles, crackers… this much I can identify. The rest…..

Anyways, Diwali takes away all ambiguity about what’s the litter. The roads literally have sheets of shredded paper from fireworks, and the air seems to get a permanent smell for a week or so. never mind the trees that died to pave the roads with paper, or the trees that will now work over time to clear the air, my sympathy is definitely with the very young, pets and elderly who have literally no escape from the ear splitting  blasts from crackers. I know babies who spend much time traumatized and in tears from fear, pets who take to hiding in cupboards to try to escape the sensory attack on their sensitive hearing, and the old and the ill being further restless and fragile.

I could never figure out what the great deal was about loud, meaningless noises as an expression of anything at all.

Last year, the recession saved many innocents from the ‘celebrations’ and everyone I spoke with enjoyed the relative quiet to go with the festivities and community feeling. I remember wondering that if everyone felt good about the lack of noise, who was it making the racket the year before? Anyway…. we’ll see how things unfold this year.

If this post has got you thinking of the world beyond human inclinations, you may want to refer to this ancient post with tips that can be immediately acted upon to make a difference to the natural resources in this world – Action points for an eco-friendly world.