The morning after Diwali in Delhi rarely smells like celebration. The faint perfume of marigolds and sweets lingers in the air, quickly overpowered by a dense haze that blankets around the city like a stubborn guest refusing to leave. For many families, this year's festivities ended not with sparklers, but with sore throats and itchy eyes.
Yet amidst the smog that has enveloped the city, a quiet resolve is taking shape in -- a promise that next year's Diwali will shine not through firecrackers, but through lights, food, and flowers.
We want joy, not smoke
In Noida sector 94, the Bhatia family's Diwali tradition of bursting crackers on the terrace came to an abrupt halt this year. "My daughter's cough wouldn't stop last night," says Neelam Bhatia. "We realised the irony -- we were celebrating the victory of light over darkness while choking on our own air."
Instead of fireworks, the Bhatias spent the evening decorating their balcony with diyas and fairy lights, inviting neighbors over for a potluck dinner. "We didn't miss the noise," says Rakesh Bhatia. "The kids lit sparklers for five minutes and burst a few crackers, then went back to the table for gulab jamun. It felt more like Diwali -- not a competition to see who burns more crackers."
It's a sentiment echoed across the NCR this year. Though crackers were burst with gusto across the city after the ban was lifted, some sections of the population chose to celebrate Diwali with eco-friendly decorations, flower-petal rangolis, and family gatherings that replaced firecracker marathons.