WHAT TO DO THIS DIWALI?

Here are the things we need to take care of:-

I: Cleanliness

Though, it is late to talk about this at this point of time. I am pretty sure that you people have achieved this goal well before now, however, if you have not, do it now.
Let's be honest, this is the only time throughout the year when our houses, cupboards, study tables, computers, etc are thoroughly cleaned. If you are ignoring it, please don't.

Why do we do it? I mean, how is cleaning related to diwali?
Well, it depends on how you see it. Everybody has different opinion about this.
According to my Maa, we do cleaning because on diwali, we pray goddess Lakshmi for wealth and prosperity, and invite her to our houses as a guest. She will only come if house is clean and fresh. Otherwise she will avoid it.
For me, we are going to decorate our house with lights, diyas (to know more, click here), and all sorts of stuff. This decoration doesn't make sense when your house is dirty. So, it is only logical when it is clean. Besides, we have to eventually clean our house at some point of time, why don't do it now.

Tip: Make sure, you go though your bookshelves thoroughly. I found ₹1200 kept in between my books. 😁

II: Decoration

Diwali is festival of lights. So here, if we are talking about decoration, it means we are talking about lights. All sorts of lights, of different color, size, shape, power, etc.
However, the prime source of light is Diya. I am sure you all know what a diya is. But, if you don't, Google it. It has been there for as long as we have known fire.
Now-a-days, electronic lights have taken over but still diyas have their own significance.
People have been talking about diyas creating pollution while e-lights are pollution free, less burdensome and easy to handle. Up to some extent, this argument is valid. If we are to light our surrounding, why don't we do it environment friendly and sustainably.
Countering this, Many say that Diyas are related to our culture and it has a lot more to do than just provide lights.
This debate can go on. However, in my opinion, we need to establish a balance between the two. If we can accommodate an environment friendly way in our culture, then why not?

III: Crackers

Well, this has been in news for a long time now. We will discuss it in form of Q&A.
  i> Is it necessary to light crackers in diwali?
      The answer is absolutely not. There is no cultural significance of crackers whatsoever in diwali.          We have been doing it just to have fun and enjoy the festival.
 ii> Does crackers pollute environment?
       Definitely they do. In fact, last year they were one of the most contributing factors of pollution           in delhi and other metros in india.
iii>What are these green crackers?
       I will not go into technicality, but , to understand in simple terms, green crackers emit harmful             gases 70% less than the conventional ones while being almost equal in terms of sound produced.         So they are promoted by the government in place of the conventional ones.
 iv>Does it really matter if it is for one day in a year?
       Different organisations release different studies and data. Some say this one day causes severe             damage, others say it doesn't really matter if it is for one day. In my opinion, if you are okay               without crackers, then please avoid it.

IV: Worshiping goddess Lakshmi

On this day, goddess Lakshmi (to know more, click here), the goddess of wealth and prosperity is worshiped. We light diyas and invite Lakshmi to visit us. However, there is a superstition attached with it. Right from childhood I have been listening to this superstition. People open their doors, windows completely open for whole night so as to allow Lakshmi to enter their house. I don't know about Lakshmi but thieves definitely enter their houses. So be careful. Don't believe in rumors and superstitions.

V: Safety

I know you all are well educated and caring human beings. But, still I will remind you to be extremely careful and cautious while operating electronic instruments or with fire. Not a single year passes when at least thousand cases are not reported of injury due to crackers, fire or electrical shock.

At last, I wish you all a lovely and safe Diwali. Welcome Shri Ram, Maa Sita and brother Lakshman in this darkest night(amavasya) of the year with great pomp.