Environment prevails over crackers

An Isabella Thoburn College researcher has undertaken a first-of-its-kind study in the city - she is monitoring pre and post Diwali indoor air quality to facilitate the way for safer ways to celebrate the festival.

The environment got the better of crackers this Diwali! It was a cricket match with a difference -- not just for fun, but it also underlined the need for a safe and ecofriendly festival.

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In a nail-biting finish, Environment XI defeated Crackers XI just by five runs in a unique T-20 contest held at Samar Vihar Park in Alambagh on Tuesday. Sankalp Parivar, a social welfare organisation, organised the match with a message to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali.

"The T-20 match was a part of the anti-crackers campaign," said Anoop Mishra, convener of Sankalp Parivar. He said Environment XI win over Crackers XI gave a simple message: We should outplay crackers to reduce pollution. .

The players' names were also different. The Environment XI players were wearing T-shirts displaying names like Rain, Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, Water, Tree, Earth, Air, River and Pond.

The Crackers XI players' shirts however bore names like Bomb, Rocket, Sparklers, Anar and Mehtab.

Apart from sensitising people by approaching them door-to-door, it is also spreading awareness through social networking sites, through messages, organising street plays and approaching students of different schools.