Diwali 2023: As Diwali festivities echoed with firecrackers nationwide, seven villages in Erode district of Tamil Nadu opted for a more thoughtful celebration. Instead of loud firecrackers, they illuminated the festival with lights, considering the well-being of the winged inhabitants of the bird sanctuary nearby.
The villages are situated approximately 10 kilometers from Erode around Vadamugam Vellode, where the bird sanctuary is located. During the period between October and January, thousands of local bird species and migratory birds from different regions visit the sanctuary to lay eggs and hatch them.
Over 900 families live around bird sanctuary
As Diwali typically occurs in October or November, the over 900 families residing around the bird sanctuary made the collective decision to refrain from bursting crackers in order to protect and avoid frightening the birds.
They have been adopting this conservation-oriented approach for the last 22 years. The residents mentioned that during Diwali, they purchase new clothes for their children and permit them to only use sparklers, avoiding the bursting of crackers.
This year too, the communities of Sellappampalayam, Vadamugam Vellode, Semmandampalayam, Karukkankattu Valasu, Pungampadi, and two additional villages continued the tradition of celebrating a noiseless Diwali in a considerate manner.
As the families celebrated Diwali with joy in their own unique ways, thousands of birds in the sanctuary remained safe and blissfully unaware, with no incidents reported on Saturday and Sunday.
(With PTI inputs)
