Diwali 2021: States including West Bengal, Karnataka, Punjab and Chhattisgarh have allowed limited use of green crackers in Diwali.
With Diwali round the corner, several states in the country have planned to celebrate the festival in their special ways. Chief Ministers of many states have come forward with plans to make the festival memorable for the people.
While the UP government will celebrate Deepotsav in Ayodhya, Delhi has planned a mega celebration with a miniature replica of Ram Temple to celebrate the festival. Many states have imposed strict vigilance to check pollution from crackers, while allowing only limited use of green crackers. News18 takes a loot at some of the planned celebrations in the states this Diwali:
The Delhi government under CM Arvind Kejriwal is planning a grand celebration on Thursday, with a miniature replica of Ram Temple being built at Tyagraj Sports Complex. Kejriwal has appealed to the citizens to participate in the ceremony, which will be broadcast live at 7pm on November 4. The CM also urged people to stay away from bursting firecrackers and remain indoors.
The replica of the Ayodhya Ram temple being built at the Tyagaraj stadium will be 30-feet high and 80-feet wide. A raised platform on the ground is also being constructed, which will be used for seating and conducting other ceremonies, which will include Ganesh Vandana by Geeta Chandran and her troupe, Diwali Maha Puja by the priests of Jhandewalan temple and Bhajan recitation by noted singer Anuradha Paudwal. Last year, the chief minister and his cabinet conducted a Puja at Akshardham Temple on Diwali.
PM MODI TO SPEND DIWALI WITH SOLDIERS
Continuing the tradition of spending Diwali with armed forces, PM Narendra Modi on Saturday may visit Jaisalmer to spend this Diwali with the soldiers of the Western border. After he became the Prime Minister for the first time in 2014, PM Modi he has been spending the day with soldiers.
On Friday, a day before Diwali, the Prime Minister also urged the countrymen to light a diya as a salute to soldiers who “fearlessly protect our nation”. “Words can’t do justice to the sense of gratitude we have for our soldiers for their exemplary courage. We are also grateful to the families of those on the borders,” PM said.
Reports also said that the Prime Minister will visit Kedarnath, one of the four famous Hindu shrines in Uttarakhand, on November 5.
GUJARAT
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will celebrate Diwali with armed forces personnel on Wednesday in Kutch district’s Dhordo village. A government release said various cultural programmes on the theme of the Tricolour have been organised at Dhordo between 4 pm and 6 pm on November 3 as part of Diwali celebrations.
Jawans of the Army, Navy, Border Security Force, Coast Guard and Gujarat police along with their musical bands will perform in these cultural programmes to be attended by Patel, said the release. Local residents and NCC cadets have been invited to witness the event and perform, it added.
UTTAR PRADESH
The ‘Deepotsav’ celebrations in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya will begin on a grand scale on Monday evening. The Uttar Pradesh government will also light 12 lakh earthen lamps, nine lakh of which will be lit on the banks of the Saryu, bettering the previous Diwali record. Last year, over six lakh earthen lamps were lit during the “Deepotsav” to celebrate the festival, creating a world record.
According to government statement, the staging of Ram Lilas, a 3D holographic display, laser show and fireworks will be part of the five-day-long celebrations, beginning Monday. Nine lakh lamps will be lit on the banks of the river with the rest three lakh in parts of the town on November 3 from 6 pm to 6.30 pm, it said.
A cultural group from Sri Lanka has been invited to stage the Ram Lila while a series of literary and cultural activities will be held from November 1 to 5. On Monday, the Ram Lila will be staged by a team from Nepal’s Janakpur while teams from Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal will also be stage it during the five-day-long celebrations.
UTTARAKHAND
The Badrinath Temple in Uttarakhand has been decorated with 10 quintals of flowers on the occasion of Diwali.
POLLUTION-FREE DIWALI IN MUMBAI
Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar on Tuesday appealed to citizens keep a check on noise and air pollution levels while bursting firecrackers during Diwali. Extending her Diwali greetings, the mayor in a video message said monitoring agencies have claimed that noise and air pollution levels go up during the festive season.
“Crackers are an integral part of Diwali festivities and they should be. However, while bursting crackers, people must keep a check on noise and air pollution levels,” Pednekar said. The mayor further stated that senior citizens, children and patients face a lot of problems due to the crackers, and hence, people should ensure that they are not troubled.
JHARKHAND
The Jharkhand government is selling special Diwali hampers made by rural women from its Palash’ outlets across the state. Over 500 rural women are also selling handicraft items from 96 Palash’ outlets, set up by the Rural Development Department, to promote the marketing of products made by self-help groups. “The hampers contain Ganesh-Lakshmi idols, panchagavya’ (made with natural products) and designer diyas’, Karanja’ (a type of oil extracted from medicinal herbs), candles, decorative items crafted by sisters of Sakhi Mandals’ (women self-help groups). Sweets and chocolates made by Sakhi Mandals’ are also popular with the Diwali shoppers, a statement said.
ONLY GREEN CRACKERS ALLOWED
Several states have imposed blanket ban on firecrackers to curb pollution amid the festive season. States including West Bengal, Karnataka, Punjab and Chhattisgarh have allowed limited use of green crackers in Diwali.
