It’s that time of the year again,
You can sense the festivities in the air!
Everybody is ready to celebrate Diwali,
With all aplomb and fanfare!!

Diwali is the festival of lights,
And it signifies the triumph of good over bad!
This year let’s light that little spark within all of us,
And be sensible, rather than going with the fad!!

Lets shun firecrackers this year,
Which have robbed many children of their childhood! (child laborers manufacture them)
Instead spend the money for their education needs,
And empower them to stand up and earn their livelihood!!

Firecrackers indeed look good to the eye,
But they also cause noise and air pollution in the sky!
They affect ailing people and senior citizens,
And even plants and animals can’t take a sigh!!

Considering the impact to the environment,
Lets pledge to have a cracker free Diwali hereby!
Its still not too late to make a difference,
We have the choice to act and not deny!!
Or do we want our children and future generations,
To question us – Why didn’t you even try???

Firecrackers also cause many fire accidents,
Tears are shed when there should be hugs all around!
Let us light a thousand diyas and spread the light,
The light which will bring love and happiness abound!!

As India marches ahead in the 21st century,
We’ve shed our past image and began to flex our six pack!
Even the US President has chosen the Diwali night to land,
And we obviously don’t want to gift Obama an asthma attack!!