A Delhi government initiative to curb pollution and ensure a cracker-free Diwali revived a sense of community among citizens and took religion out of old equations, says Saimi Sattar

For once it appeared that a popular festival, which had taken on the hues of a commerce-driven one and recently had acquired more religious overtones, had transformed into a community fest. The four-day laser show, which ends tomorrow at Central Park at Rajeev Chow, celebrates the vibrant Diwali season sans crackers to combat pollution. The State government’s initiative, Dilli ki Diwali, seemed to have been endorsed wholeheartedly by the young and old, the hoity toity to the hoi polloi. For there were queues upon snaking queues making their way through the different blocks of CP in anticipation of gaining entry into an open-air entertainment. If spectacle wasn’t your thing, there were craft corners, folk dancers and food stalls.

There was this unmistakable warmth of bonhomie. “Where does the queue start?” This was the frequent query which was met with much mirth and laughter as those already a part of the line tried to trace and point it out to the newcomers, only to find that the tail end had moved further down. And then the entry actually stopped because the crush of humanity inside had become too big to be managed. So Delhizens did what they do best. They walked around, hoping to make it to the amphitheatre of performances by sneaking in through the gaps. The more enterprising ones, including women dressed to the nines in saris, scaled barricades (spikes be damned) with some help from strangers while the cops on duty looked on indulgently. And yes, there was no “bad touch” to be felt in the swell of collective emotions.

Once inside, no one could claim disappointment as they screamed in delight, clapped their hands and enjoyed themselves whole-heartedly as a new kind of Ramayana unfolded with the help of laser lights. This was followed by Javed Ali belting out popular Bollywood numbers on Saturday followed by Indian Ocean on Sunday. Shilpa Rao performed on the penultimate day and on the last day, Delhi’s own Euphoria  will set the stage on fire. 

Photo: Pankaj Kumar