Firecrackers and festivities go hand in hand

TheSupreme Court, in its wisdom, has permitted the sale and bursting of “green crackers”, the “lesser evil” for four days up to October 21 during the Diwali season in Delhi and NCR, obviously respecting “public sentiment”. The bursting of “green crackers”, not harmless, but less harmful than “conventional crackers”, and eco-friendly only in name, is sure to send the pollution levels steeply upwards. The possibility of Delhi and the NCR becoming a gas chamber in the days following the Diwali looks frighteningly real.

Less-polluting “green crackers” also release ultrafine particles capable of penetrating deep into human lungs. The worsening of air quality means an aggravation of health problems. It all depends on whether one can prevent conventional crackers reaching the market and ensure that the so-called “green crackers” alone are burst. Smugglers are not yet extinct in our country! People in a festive mood tend to flout guidelines. The issue of firecrackers during Diwali and other festivals across India is not adequately addressed or regulated. It is certainly not unfair to question the wisdom of allowing widespread bursting of firecrackers when it makes life miserable to elderly citizens, infants, pregnant women and patients on treatment or recuperating.

As a society, we are yet to become health conscious enough. We must be wise enough to put public health above everything else, including festivities. Once I was told by a church secretary in front of a parsonage, when I objected to deafening fireworks for hours on end, that I was against the bursting of firecrackers on Christmas and New Year Day as I was miserly and jealous of those who did it as I was short on aesthetics!

G David Milton

Maruthancode (TN)

Smoky ruling on green crackers

Afterthe backlash over Vishnu idol remarks, the Supreme Court is playing it safe by allowing limited burning of green crackers. I must confess, I have no moral right to write as we grew busting crackers. In our childhood, most of us didn’t have the luxury to “burn money” on fireworks. With a single-income father and a large family, our Diwali budget for crackers barely touched ₹25 or so enough only for a few modest, less noisy ones. Delhi then was greener, less crowded, and the smoke hardly made a dent. The Supreme Court’s ruling reminded me of my own “smoky” experience during our housewarming. I had just completed the false ceiling and all — when a relative asked if it was done. On hearing “yes,” he warned, “You should’ve waited! The "homam" smoke will blacken it.” Alarmed, I called the young priest just a day before the ceremony to find out how we could avoid that. The priest shot back dryly, “Sir, I’ve never performed a homam without smoke.

N Nagarajan,Hyderabad

SC ruling will check pollution levels

TheSupreme Court (SC) on Wednesday permitted sale and use of green firecrackers for three days in the Delhi NCR region, albeit only from 6 am to 7 am and 8 pm to 10 pm. However, the use of regular firecrackers has been a major concern for the judiciary, the state government, and over 200 million NCR residents. The firecrackers that we have been using for decades are made up of common metallic salts and oxidisers, including barium nitrate, potassium chlorate, sulfur, and aluminum, which produce vibrant colours and release noxious gases and tiny particulate matter that are harmful to us as they can cause respiratory diseases and illnesses. However, a green cracker, which is said to be an eco-friendly one, is much better for the environment and the residents. For those unversed, green crackers don't contain the harmful chemicals found in conventional crackers, such as aluminum, barium, potassium nitrate, and carbon, which are harmful to the environment. Additionally, green crackers are smaller and quieter, so they don't cause noise pollution.

Bhagwan Thadani,Mumbai

Experts fear spike in pollution

TheSupreme Court's decision on green crackers in Delhi NCR is a conditional concession for celebrating Diwali! And the ruling besides being not a full reversal of the earlier total ban, comes as a test case or trial run with several strict conditions, including specific dates, time limits, designated sale spots and a compulsory QR code for all crackers. As a septuagenarian I feel pity on today's Gen-Z, as they are unable to celebrate Diwali as I could during my childhood days. In those times, there were no restrictions whatsoever and we merrily celebrated Diwali.

Unfortunately, over the years, cracker manufacturers deviated from traditional crackers to crazy ones by liberally using chemicals that cause environmental pollution and health issues notably for all living creatures including humans. Successive governments failed to curb such dangerous innovations in cracker manufacturing, leading to the present day conditions. Imposing conditions on

Diwali celebrations like only burning green crackers expose doublespeak. It is better not to celebrate Diwali at all. And who are these experts to "fear" spike in pollution. These so-called experts should ask the government to maintain a close vigil on illegal cracker manufacturing units and imported crackers that make their way into the Indian markets, before actually "fearing" a spike in pollution!

Govardhana Myneedu,Vijayawada

Green ensures clean Diwali

Therecent order permitting limited use of firecrackers appears more like a face-saving move by the judiciary, aware that a complete ban would have been widely defied under the guise of religion. It must be remembered that Lord Rama’s homecoming was celebrated with diyas and lights—not with deafening explosions polluting the air. Bursting crackers is cruelty disguised as festivity, tormenting animals, the elderly, and the sick while poisoning the environment. True devotion lies in compassion, not in chaos. People must rise above blind traditions and embrace a green Diwali as a respect for all living beings. Let us not choke skies with toxic smoke.

RS Narula, Patiala

Let Deepavali be a happy memory

Deepavali, the festival of lights celebrates

The rich Indian culture, bringing together

All our dear ones to savour the festive

Joy and fun with beaming visages,

Womenfolk clad in traditional clothes

Transform homes into bright, beautiful

Spectacles with colourful Rangoli;

With devotion in hearts, people

Worship Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of wealth

And offer soulful prayers to her, seeking

Her grace and blessings;

All homes are echoing with melodies

Of radiant smiles, lively and hearty

Exchange of greetings of folks

And plays and giggles of kids,

Aroma of traditional foods

-Bobbatlu, Burelu, Garelu emanating

From all homes, spreading and tantalizing;

The day is vanishing and the night enveloping,

Rows of diyas lit up in all homes, driving

Away the dark and illumining homes, streets,

The sky not darkened is brightened with fireworks

Like sparklers and flowerpots burnt on the ground,

Rockets are sent zooming and flying

Across the sky with jubilant cries of youngsters;

Concern for the old and the sick and compassion

For our loving pets and mute animals need

To be shown, not disturbing and scaring them

With thundering, horrible sounds of firecrackers,

No more thick, suffocating smoke and frightening

Sounds of firecrackers we make, avoiding

Pernicious smoke, air and sound pollution;

Let's be eco-friendly and celebrate Deepavali

Safely and carefully with no fire-disasters,

Let Deepavali be the true festival of lights

And the happy, honeyed memory for everyone,

Glorifying our rich heritage of culture and traditions.

Dr Venugopala Rao Kaki,

Poet, short-story writer

Bengaluru: A city of charm, now in peril

Thisrefers to “From ‘Pensioner’s paradise’ to an unliveable urban hellhole” (THI Oct 16). Once hailed as the ‘City of Gardens’, and ‘Pensioners’ paradise,” Bengaluru embodied serenity, green cover, and a pleasant climate. Even fans were not required, but now ACs a necessity. Its avenues, gentle weather, and slow-paced charm offered a haven for retirees and thinkers alike. But rapid urbanization, unchecked construction, and infrastructural neglect have rewritten its identity. The city now grapples with, poor roads, traffic snarls, vanishing lakes, flash floods, toxic air and sustainability issues. Once a model of ecological balance, it is now an example of environmental degradation and civic apathy. The IT boom brought prosperity but also strain—on infrastructure and governance. Heritage bungalows gave way to concrete jungles and the garden city lost its charm. The city’s descent from comfort to chaos is a wakeup call to all growing cities.

Dr O Prasada Rao,Hyderabad

Blame it on the Cong govt

Your October 18 editorial sums up the pathetic condition that the ‘Garden City’ of Bangalore has been reduced to, a far cry from what it was during the 1970s. A new change has now overwhelmed the city – with bad roads, unprecedented vehicular traffic- increasing population – growing demand on infrastructure. Traffic jams are a routine nightmare for travellers, going to other places, before they cross the city limits.

Rains make life miserable for the habitants and road users; and the civic amenities are taking a severe beating on account of rampant corruption and lack of funds as the present government is more focussed on freebies in order to remain in power, and continue to indulge in corruption. Incidentally, a similar state exists in all Congress-ruled states in the country.

K R Parvathy,Mysuru

Legitimacy, morality and capital punishment

Therecent Supreme Court hearing in the Rishi Malhotra v. Union of India (PIL) filed in 2017 seeking a more humane method of executing capital punishment, has reignited the larger debate about the relevance and ethics of capital punishment in the modern era. While this particular petition does not challenge the constitutionality of the death penalty itself, as that issue was settled by the Constitution Bench in Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab, it nevertheless opens a space for critical reflection on both the methods and the very need for such punishment today.

It is important to revisit the dissenting opinion of Justice P.N. Bhagwati in Bachan Singh, where he raised serious concerns about the method of hanging as a mode of execution. Drawing on scientific reasoning, he noted that hanging does not always result in the immediate and painless death it is presumed to cause. In fact, there have been documented instances where, after the convict appeared to be dead and was placed on a table for examination following the hanging, they were observed to gasp for breath when the rope was cut.

Alternative methods such as the firing squad, lethal injection, or electrocution are not without their own flaws. Firing squads can lead to missed targets and prolonged suffering. Lethal injections, often thought to be more clinical and humane, are plagued with complications related to dosage accuracy, drug availability, and executioner expertise. Electric chair is widely regarded as barbaric. Even nitrogen asphyxia touted globally as a painless option; is still under-researched and lacks sufficient empirical evidence to support its adoption.

These debates, however, may distract from the more fundamental question: should capital punishment exist at all? Despite its severity, the death penalty has failed to serve as an effective deterrent to serious crimes. Numerous studies and global trends indicate that crime rates do not correlate with the presence or absence of capital punishment. Moreover, the irreversible nature of the sentence always carries the harrowing risk of miscarriage of justice, especially in a legal system where bias, systemic flaws and socio-economic disparities persist.

Rather than merely refining the science of execution, the real conversation India must engage in is whether the state should retain the power to take life in the name of justice. The need of the hour is to rethink not just the mode of execution, but the very legitimacy and morality of capital punishment itself.

Kattamreddy Ananth Rupesh

Asst Prof of Forensic Medicine

Govt Medical College, Ongole