by Pankaj Yadav

NEW DELHI, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The festival of Dussehra, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil, is being celebrated across India on Friday.

A legend has it that on this day Lord Rama avenged the abduction of his wife Sita by killing the demon king Raavan.

It is also believed that Lord Rama belonged to Ayodhya, a town in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh, while Raavan was the king of Sri Lanka.

To mark the festival, effigies of Raavan filled with firecrackers are burnt in the evening, marking the end of evils from the society.

Dussehra is also the culmination of the ten-day-long on-stage drama "Ramlila" where artists play different roles depicting various aspects of the epic Ramayan. It also marks the end of the nine-day fasting period mainly observed by the Hindus.

It is believed that 20 days after killing demon king Raavan, Lord Rama returned to his hometown Ayodhya along with his wife Sita and younger brother Laxman. The day of Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya is celebrated as the festival of lights "Diwali", which falls on Nov. 4 this year.

Traditionally, the bursting of firecrackers was synonymous with the twin festivals of Dussehra and Diwali. But for the past few years, the sale and bursting of firecrackers are completely banned by several state governments, especially in north India, around this time of the year to keep a tab on rising air pollution levels.

The national capital suffers the most from air pollution every year. Hence, the Delhi government has put a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers till Jan. 1, 2022.

On Sept. 28, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) announced a complete ban on the sale and bursting of firecrackers to curb air pollution. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that this move was essential to save residents of Delhi from deadly air pollution levels.

Those found in possession of or bursting, firecrackers by the Delhi Police would be penalized or prosecuted upon.

The DPCC order stated that large-scale celebrations and bursting of firecrackers could lead to another surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, and would result not only in agglomeration of people in violation of social distancing norms but also a high level of air pollution leading to serious health issues in Delhi.

Under the current pandemic circumstances, the bursting of crackers could lead to respiratory and other health issues, said the order by the pollution controlling authority.

The neighboring state of Haryana also imposed a ban on firecrackers in as many as 14 of its districts in a bid to keep air pollution levels at bay. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) directed all 14 districts to impose a ban on the sale and use of firecrackers with immediate effect.

The order came after directives issued by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court of India on the restrictions on the use of firecrackers. The ban was in view of the deteriorating air quality that the region -- National Capital Region (NCR), witnesses during this time of the year, which is compounded by the bursting of crackers and stubble burning in nearby districts.

The NCR comprises of Delhi and surrounding districts mostly falling in the neighboring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Despite the ban on firecrackers, makers of Raavan effigies could be commonly seen by roadsides in Gurugram, a town in Haryana state bordering Delhi.

Chandrabhan Sahu, one such effigy maker, told Xinhua that due to the ban on firecrackers they were using only those firecrackers which emit less smoke.

"We know there is a ban on firecrackers. But, then, traditionally effigies of Raavan are burnt in India since ancient times as it is one of the main ceremonies to mark the festival of Dussehra. We are using the least number of firecrackers, which emit very little smoke. We also want to protect the air from being polluted," added the effigy maker. Enditem

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