The air was dull, the freshness of the morning subdued, my little girl wondered if that was fog. I explained to her that this was smog. She looked at me with questioning eyes for she did practise a green Diwali. She wondered who are all those unaware of the cause and effect of our actions? Rana Preet Gill As we made our way towards my daugher’s school, she looked disinterestedly at the scene outside — a smoky haze had blanketed the cheerfulness of the morning. Her extended Diwali holidays were over, she was going back to her routine after a long break. She is a chirpy 10-year-old who loves her school and her morning excitement often gives an impetus to me. But that day, something appeared to be missing. The air was dull, the freshness of the morning subdued, my little girl wondered if that was fog. I explained to her that this was smog, resulting from air pollution. Firecrackers of the festive season and stubble-burning in and around the city had lent the dark grey color to the sky. She looked at me with questioning eyes for she did practise a green Diwali. This year, we did not burn a single cracker because the school had advised the students to keep off them and save the environment. My daughter made sure that this was followed in letter and spirit. When the gardener procured a few old crackers from the last year’s lot and burst them, it was my daughter who admonished him and gave him an earful of advice. She played her part well and now her eyes were lingering on me for questions. If she did process the information she gathered from school and teachers and played her part right, she wondered who is producing the toxic fumes? Who are all those unaware of the cause and effect our actions? After dropping her at the school, I pondered over this for a long time. Who is responsible for the smoky haze? When a 10-year-old is ready to take responsibility for her actions, why cannot each one of us do the same? When I was in school, we never practised nor preached a soundless Diwali. It was all about boom and crackers and we would try to outdo our friendly neighbours by lighting up crackers at deafening volumes. We must have caused a considerable damage to the ozone layer, but back then, we were unaware of our actions. That self-awareness came a tad late when the world is lauding to the likes of Greta Thunberg, berating the world for robing the future generation of their rights to healthy and clean environment. Are we ready to stand up for the damage we have caused and take this cognizance forward by bringing it into our actions? Guarding and taking care of the environment around us is a collective effort, which can only be fulfilled by individual responsibility. Let us stand up for ourselves and for our actions. Let each one of us become a role model for others by desisting from doing anything that is suffocating people around us. Let us do this for future generations. Clearing up this smoky haze is of paramount importance. We need to share our concerns with those who blew up the cracker ban with an aplomb, who are lighting up fires in stealth of the night and still playing ignorant. We need to spread the word and counsel all. Every little action we undertake has the power to change the world around us. For that, each one of us needs to take responsibility to save his or her share of this beautiful planet called Earth.

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