Eco-Friendly Tips for Ravana-Dahan or Burning Effigy of Ravana during Dussehra
Ravan Dahan is the practice of burning the effigy of Ravan on the day of Dussehra or Vijayadashami. According to the Hindu epic Ramayana, Ravana is the Asura king who wanted to defeat Sri Rama avatar of Lord Vishnu. Ravan Dahan symbolizes the defeat of Ravana and victory of good over evil. On Dussehra or Vijayadashami, effigy of Ravan, Ravan’s son meghnath and Ravana’s brother kumbhakarna is erected. Artisans make effigies and fill firecrackers and fireworks for easy burning of effigies.
Impact on Environment due to Ravan-Dahan or Burning Effigy of Ravan
Indian festivals are a sight to see, with grand celebrations taking off in every street and people huddling together across the country to enjoy the day with much color and splendour. But amidst all this gala, the environment gets heavily choked with pollution. All this affects the environment in a hard way, which, if not treated right can adversely hit us like a hammer fist to the head.
While celebrations and festivals cannot be stopped, what we can do is take steps to minimize the pollution caused. Over the years, many areas in the country have resorted to celebrating their Dussehra in a greener way. Let’s see what we can do to sustain the nature’s health during festivities.
VisarjanKund or immersion site
Like Ganesh Festival, during Dussehra festival, idols of goddess Durga is immersed in ponds, lakes and rivers. Many a time, the rivers and lakes bear the brunt of the festival celebrations, often ending up clogged with debris from immersion of idols. This results in water pollution and affects the aquatic life as well as the life of flora and fauna around the water source.
In a move to reduce the pollution caused from submerging idols into water bodies, green activists can open a new way to celebrate. Alternative sites can be dug up and filled with water and used as the VisarjanKund or immersion site. The pool can be bordered by scooped earth and nearby another smaller pit dug for the puja samagri, where the materials that are used in the rituals are discarded after the puja. These pits will help turn the organic wastes into manure that can be used later as fertilizers.
Eco-Friendly Ravana-Dahan
Burning or setting on fire and effigy of Ravana is an integral part of Dussehra. Ravana effigies are filled with crackers and fireworks and are burnt down with flaming arrows. This results in a lot of air and noise pollution, not to mention the waste littered from the burnt remains.
But, a new greener and techier way has found its place among the festivities. The novel way involves laser lights and a laser show that depicts the animated story of Ravan Dahan.
The lasers replacing the traditional bow and arrow to burn the effigies thus minimize the pollution and maximize the fun. This is also particularly educative to kids, informing them of the importance of preserving nature when abiding by the nation’s culture and traditions.
Reduce electricity usage
Mysore hosted the brilliance of Dussehra with an effort to reduce electricity usage. Last year, incandescent light bulbs were replaced with LED lights in the city of palaces. According to statistics, employing LED lights have enabled the city to reduce their units to 40,000.
If this practice is held all over India, illuminations for Dussehra can be replaced with LED lights and candles that will bring about a huge reduction in the consumption of electricity.
