Last night, I witnessed a rocket being launched and the consequent sound of cheering. I doubt that those responsible noticed the fluttering black silhouettes of birds scattering in confusion and panic. I cannot help but wonder how many such birds will lifelessly plummet to the ground along with the ashy remnants of short-lived enthusiasm.
Please. PLEASE. If Diwali is supposed to be an occasion of enlightenment, thanksgiving and renewal, PLEASE don't turn it into a celebration of cruelty.
Drink your booze, and smoke your weed if that's what makes you happy on Diwali. But please, have a heart. Try not to derive pleasure at the cost of others. I know Diwali comes once a year. But your one day of fun could kill an animal. And dying happens only once in a lifetime.
Think of the impact on migratory birds who get displaced. Think of the impact on nesting birds who cannot return to their nestlings.
THINK.
Another appeal. Unconscionable cruelty is meted out to stray animals on Diwali. Please open your building gates to panicked dogs and cats seeking shelter. Whip out your camera phones and take pictures of animal abuse. More often than not, the fear of being reported is enough to deter a perpetrator. I pretended to be a journalist last year and thwarted various groups of miscreants who were throwing chocolate bombs at petrified dogs cowering under cars.
Wishing all an enlightened Diwali.
Image credit- PETA
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