Lawyer, activist and social worker Anil Kilor has been in the forefront of many social crusades. As former president and member of Jan Manch he has filed public interest litigations on various issues pertaining to education, forest, environment, noise pollution, which have borne fruit.“There is a perceptible change this season in terms of better law enforcement, zero noise pollution, larger number of immersions in artificial tanks and use of clay idols,” says Kilor about the growing social awareness which is changing the way festivals are celebrated.Excerpts from an interview...Q. The ten-day Ganpati festival this year has been celebrated in a very socially responsible manner. Would you agree?A. Definitely. This change has been driven by awareness. People realized the harmful effects of PoP idols on the water bodies. They realized what a nuisance DJs and procession are for others and how they create traffic bottlenecks. Festivals are occasions to celebrate. But these practices were creating more of a nuisance. Once this realization set in it was easy to bring about change.Q. But it took quite a long time for this change to set in.A. Yes, constant hammering of positive ideas is required to bring social change. People also learnt from personal experiences. For instance, it is very painful for a devout to see the plight of a PoP idol which he has worshipped for ten days, floating upside down in water. It gets mutilated but does not dissolve completely. So, the idea of a clay idol or eco-friendly idol caught on in a big way and this year we could see a visible shift. We can create small models of various issues and allow it to spread to a wider area. After all, old habits die hard.Q. Shifts in social behaviour are often a result of relentless work by voluntary organizations and NGOs.A. There are many reasons for this. Most importantly, we have this concept of rights and don’t pay attention to our duties. Rights is a western concept but Hindu philosophy mostly speaks about duties. Cleanliness, environment protection and law and order should be the responsibility of the society. We should not expect administration to enforce this as they have limitations like shortage of staff. Voluntary organizations are formed for definite purposes and they work with dedication in those specific areas and achieve results.Q. But is it not the duty of the administration to ensure that laws are followed and order is maintained?A. The local administration should be strict in implementation of rules. Our municipal commissioner Virendra Singh has done some fine work in this sphere. The barricading of Sakkardhara and Gandhisagar lakes has ensured that the idols do not reach the lake and cause pollution. This will have a huge impact. I would say that even the pandals backed by political leaders should be checked if they are beneficial or create a nuisance. Once this happens they too will understand and adhere to rules.Q. Another common perception is that organizations get active only during Hindu festivals and ignore those of other religion?A. Environmental issues, noise pollution and traffic nuisance is not specific to any particular sect or religion. But since the size and scale of Hindu festival is large and its impact that much extensive, all we expect is that they should lead by example. Today, people try to outdo each other. What is wrong is wrong and is unacceptable regardless of which community is indulging in it. A herd mentality plays a part in this. It is only when a few people begin to realize that what is being done is wrong and move away from it, and a large number of people begin to follow them, that social change comes about.Q. The concept of preserving environment and celebrating festivals in a low-key manner is considered the domain of the elite class.A. But social media has changed that. It has hammered the right messages which have reached those standing at the other end of the social ladder. Its reach is immense and impactful. Another factor is that schools are also constantly dishing out these messages making children more socially responsible. This year thermocol was banned and children came up with novel ideas to decorate the altars. No parent can ignore a message given by their child.Q. What other measures can be taken to further streamline the ten day celebrations?A. I think this approach of having one idol in one locality can be taken up. This will happen only when people will support the idea. This would be a much better approach as it will increase the number of people who celebrate at one place and socializing will increase along with exchange of ideas which will steer change. It will help people in forming strong unions. Ganesh festival and other ones too can be a great platform for encouraging this.

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