Breathless in Diwali: Banning crackers isn’t ‘Anti-Hindu’, polluted air is

On Diwali night, as the clock struck midnight, sleepless and exasperated with the relentless fire-cracker noise, I rang up the local police station. “Its past midnight and crackers are still being burst. Will you take action as per the Supreme Court guidelines please?” The voice on the line sounded fatigued: “Koshish kar rahe hai sir par log sunte nahi!” (We are trying but people don’t listen). I almost felt sorry for the constable on the night beat. When citizens don’t seem to care, how do you enforce a court order that has mandated a 10 pm deadline for bursting firecrackers? The next morning, while on my regular morning walk in the park, I…