Gurgaon corporate houses celebrate with rangoli, flowers, lights

Most corporates are going in for an eco-friendly celebration this year and using only flowers and organic colours while celebrating Diwali. Crackers have been given a complete miss.

Corporate groups from the city have joined hands to ensure a ‘Green Diwali’ this year. This is in line with the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) verdict to cut down pollution levels in the NCR.

A Diwali mela was held at the Nagarro campus in Gurgaon on Wednesday.

Most corporates are going in for an eco-friendly celebration this year and using only flowers and organic colours while celebrating Diwali. Crackers have been given a complete miss. This came after schools sensitised students about the ill-effects of crackers and residents too vowed to celebrate a green Diwali.

Employees at most companies came to office on Wednesday dressed in bright ethnic outfits and were engaged in making rangolis with eco-friendly colours and decorating offices with paper chandeliers.

The Supreme Court had on October 9 banned the sale of firecrackers in the NCr region till November 1, while the Punjab and Haryana high court ordered on October 13 that crackers can be burst only for three hours on Diwali between 6.30pm and 9.30pm in Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The corporate houses stressed that continued efforts by citizens are required to resolve the issue of pollution and traffic congestion. With more and more people taking cognizance of pollution around the time of Diwali, companies launched several campaigns to keep the awareness around rising pollution and decreasing air quality going.

“We did activities during this week. We got employees to decorate the floors and held several competitions in various floors and bays. Also, employees were asked to get dressed up in traditional wear. We organised traditional food for all our employees in the cafeteria and also gifted them eco-friendly items,” said Hanumant Talwar, founder-director, Cognitiv Enterprises Pvt Ltd.

Several online companies have also taken various initiatives to make a difference this Diwali.

Cab aggregator Ola with its ‘#BigFestivalSmallStep’ has focussed on making a difference to India’s ever-increasing pollution problem. Launching yet another film this Diwali in their #FarakPadtaHai series, the company highlights that continued efforts by citizens are required to resolve the issue of pollution.

“With more and more people taking cognizance of pollution around the time of Diwali, the company is advocating shared rides and greener commuting as one small step towards making a big difference,” said Mudit Shekhawat, senior director, marketing, Ola.

ShepHertz Technologies, a Gurgaon based startup, launched a social media campaign called ‘My Eco-friendly Diwali’ an dhas invited people to share stories on why people should stop bursting firecrackers.

Brigadier (retd) Manoranjan Singh, head of functional operations at ShepHertz, said, “Our campaign is directed at making a small contribution in bringing down pollution levels and re-establishing the true essence of Diwali.”