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In recent years, every time Hindu festivals approach—be it Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, or Durga Puja—a familiar pattern unfolds. The media discourse, activist commentary, and even judicial observations begin circling the same themes: noise, pollution, environmental harm, and animal distress. Yet when other religious or cultural practices with far greater ecological or societal impacts occur, the outcry is strangely muted.

This selective activism has raised a question that millions of citizens are now asking:
👉 Why are Hindu festivals repeatedly targeted under the guise of environmentalism, while similar scrutiny disappears elsewhere?

⚖️ The Recent Flashpoint: Justice Abhaya’s Statement

The latest debate erupted after former Supreme Court Justice Abhaya remarked that “bursting crackers, idol immersions, and loudspeakers are not essential religious practices — no religion permits pollution.”

While the statement found immediate amplification across media houses, it also drew sharp criticism from social commentators and legal experts alike.

“Why do such remarks surface only around Hindu festivals?” ask experts. “We hear moral sermons about Diwali smoke or Durga idol immersions, but we never hear the same tone when mass animal slaughter, ritual bonfires, or amplified prayer calls disrupt public spaces or strain the environment.”

🔊 The Sound of Selectivity: Loudspeakers & Double Standards

India’s noise pollution laws apply equally to all — yet, their enforcement doesn’t. While the use of loudspeakers during Hindu temple functions or Navratri events or other Hindu festivals often invites court interventions and police restrictions, five-times-a-day Azaan on public address systems continues largely unchallenged.

Senior officer points out:

“When temple loudspeakers operate briefly for morning bhajans, it’s called noise. But when the same happens five times daily elsewhere, it’s called tradition. The law should be consistent — or it loses credibility.”

The irony deepens when even schools are told to curb morning assemblies for noise control, while amplified religious broadcasts remain unregulated.

🐄 The Silent Crisis: Animal Slaughter vs. Firecrackers

Environmentalists warn that ritual animal slaughter—especially during certain community festivals—has severe ecological, hygienic, and moral consequences. The blood and organic waste from millions of animal carcasses contaminate groundwater, choke drainage systems, and release methane—one of the most potent greenhouse gases.

Assessment and Quantification of Methane Emission from Indian Livestock and Manure Management (Samal A., Sahu S.K., Mishra A. et al., 2024) estimates methane (CH₄) emissions from Indian livestock at 11.63 Tg yr⁻¹ from enteric fermentation plus 1.11 Tg yr⁻¹ from manure management, totalling ~12.74 Tg yr⁻¹.

Yet, there’s no trending campaign on social media to “ban sacrifice festivals” or label them “non-essential.”

Compare that to Hindu festivals like Diwali firecrackers, lit for a few hours once a year. IIT Kanpur (DPCC-commissioned, 2016) — the landmark Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gases in Delhi treats fireworks as an episodic source; the report focuses on annual/winter source apportionment (vehicles, road dust, industry, biomass, etc.). Fireworks are not a major annual source in Delhi’s inventory.

As a climate researcher puts it:

“If Diwali crackers endangered the ozone, the ongoing wars and missile strikes across the world—releasing tons of explosives—would have destroyed it long ago.”

The hypocrisy, he argues, lies not in concern for the planet but in targeted cultural framing.

🌊 Idol Immersion and the Myth of Pollution

The narrative that idol immersions “pollute rivers” is half-truth at best. Modern clay-based idols, eco-friendly paints, and biodegradable decorations are already being promoted across Hindu communities. In many cities, immersion tanks and artificial ponds have been created to prevent contamination.

Yet, the same environmentalists who protest immersion ceremonies often stay silent about industrial effluents, sewage discharge, or chemical runoffs—which collectively form over 98% of India’s river pollution.

When Hindu festivals, ritual purity becomes a target, but industrial impurity doesn’t, people begin to see through the agenda.

🧭 The Larger Civilisational Question

Many scholars argue that the pattern is not merely about Hindu festivals but about civilisational perception. Sanatana Dharma, the most ancient continuous spiritual tradition, worships the sun, moon, rivers, mountains, and animals — viewing divinity as infinite and omnipresent.

As one devotee poignantly remarked during a public discussion:

“When they broke idols, we still prayed to the river. When they demolished temples, we bowed to the sun. When they silenced bells, we sang mantras within. If God is infinite, how much will you destroy?”

Such resilience challenges those who wish to portray Hindu festivals and civilisation as primitive or superstitious.

🧩 The Narrative Engine

The repeated pattern suggests a psychological and political narrative:

• Portray the majority (Hindu festivals)traditions as polluting or regressive,
• Frame minority practices as sacrosanct or cultural,
• And, in doing so, create guilt and compliance among the majority population.

This method — part colonial legacy, part ideological conditioning — has historically been used to weaken civilisational confidence.

However, in the age of social media and citizen journalism, such narratives no longer go unchallenged.
Every attempt to single out Hindu practices now faces public scrutiny, counter-data, and cultural rebuttals.

🌏 The Way Forward

The goal should not be selective bans but uniform ecological accountability.

• If noise is a problem, regulate all sources.
• If pollution is a concern, address industrial, vehicular, and ritual emissions together.
• If compassion is invoked, extend it to all creatures — not just those that fit a convenient narrative.

India’s future lies in balance, not bias — where devotion coexists with responsibility, and faith is not criminalised in the name of pseudo-environmentalism.

🕉️ Conclusion: Faith Is Not a Pollutant

A civilisation that worships nature cannot be accused of destroying it. It is not firecrackers but selective silence that endangers India’s moral environment.

The time has come for India to ask:

Who benefits when Hindu festivals are vilified, while far graver environmental threats are ignored?

The answer, perhaps, lies not in the smoke of crackers — but in the smokescreen of selective narratives.

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