Patna. The memories of childhood festivals remain in a person’s mind throughout his life. The form of festivals may change with time, but man does not forget the old form. BollywoodWallah talked to selected people of the city about these things and asked them how they celebrated the festival of Diwali in their childhood. How special was Diwali for him. Here is the report of the special conversation…
It was mandatory to study on Diwali: DM
DM Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh said about the Diwali of his childhood that he used to live in the village during Diwali. The work was assigned to the family members for cleaning the house and surroundings a week before Diwali. He was very fond of lighting lamps on Diwali. Used to take lamps from family members and light them. Crackers were not available. Very little came. Studying was mandatory on the day of Diwali. So that one can study for one year. There has been a lot of change compared to before. He said in the conversation that the way the air quality is deteriorating. In such a situation, do not leave crackers and celebrate Green Diwali.
Chinese chandeliers have replaced lamps: IG Vikas Vaibhav
From childhood till today I have been considering Diwali as the festival of lights. Now the form of this festival has changed a lot. Today’s young generation does not pay attention to the importance of lamps. The meaning of Diwali is to remove darkness and spread light. Chinese chandeliers have replaced the lamps. In my childhood, I used to make house kunda from clay. Used to decorate it with colours. Mother used to bring clay kulhiya-chukiya and lava from the market. Various types of toys were available, which are rarely seen now. Even if it is available, no one buys it now. There are many traditions which have almost ended now. Just like today there is a get-together in other festivals, similarly there used to be a Diwali get-together during Diwali too. Family and friends used to visit each other’s homes and congratulate each other. Used to distribute sweets and celebrate festivals. All these traditions have gradually ended. Leave the Chinese lights and decorate your house and courtyard with lamps.
Started bursting crackers even before Diwali: Animesh Kumar Parashar, Municipal Commissioner
I love the festival of Diwali since childhood. We used to believe this in Aurangabad during our school days. We used to have a lot of stock of crackers, which included all types of crackers. We started bursting crackers even before Diwali. Diwali was even better during college days. Preparations for Diwali festival started in IIT Kharagpur about a month in advance. This was the biggest festival in the college. We students used to have fun together. After coming into service all these things became a bit limited. Now engaged in pollution control. Special attention is paid to measures to prevent air pollution through machines including sprinklers, anti-smog guns. Celebrate Diwali with sweets and lamps with family and friends.
Diwali was celebrated by lighting earthen lamps: Dr. GK Pal, Director Patna AIIMS.
Actually, every day of childhood was good. But the memories of childhood are such that we want to become a child at least during Diwali. I like the festival of Diwali very much. Since childhood, I have been celebrating this festival with joy and with my relatives. My childhood life was spent in the village. When I was young, I used to celebrate Diwali with my parents by lighting an earthen lamp. Even today I light the same lamp as in my childhood. I don’t like noisy crackers and smoke from the beginning. In such a situation, I appeal to all the people to celebrate eco-friendly Diwali. Also, take special care of your health this Diwali.
Children were busy cleaning the house, the courtyard was decorated with earthen lamps: Prof. KC Sinha
Vice Chancellor of Patna University, Prof. KC Sinha, while sharing his childhood memories of Diwali, said that two-three days before Diwali, the children of the family would start cleaning the house. Along with this, they used to prepare wicks for lamps. On the day of Diwali, one by one we all used to decorate lamps from the courtyard to the outside of the house. After the puja, all the brothers and sisters used to wait for the sparklers to be lit. With changing times, series bulbs have now replaced lamps. But even today I light earthen lamps in my house. While wishing people on Diwali, I also advise them to take care of environmental protection.