Chennai: While cities across India, including Delhi, woke up to toxic air and “very poor” air quality this Diwali, a few villages in Tamil Nadu have shown that festivals can be celebrated with mindfulness and care for the environment.

In Vettangudipatti village in Sivaganga district, residents have not burst firecrackers for nearly 50 years. Their decision stems from a deep sense of compassion for migratory birds that arrive in the region each year.

“These villagers decided not to burst crackers to safeguard migratory birds,” said Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary, Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Government of Tamil Nadu.

Sahu shared a post on X along with a video made by the Forest Department documenting Vettangudipatti’s journey. The video, released amid the ongoing debate over “green” crackers, captured a silence that spoke volumes.

In the video, 78-year-old Arumugam, a long-time resident of the village, said the birds started coming to their village in 1972. He explained how the villagers learned to associate the birds’ arrival with prosperity.

“Our elders started noticing a pattern: when the birds visited us, we received good rainfall and prospered and when they didn’t, we suffered because of lack of rains,” he said. Arumugam added that the villagers realised the birds hatched chicks around Deepavali, and that bursting firecrackers during this period was harmful to them.

Sahu said that 36.89 hectares surrounding the village, comprising three interconnected irrigation tanks, was declared the Vettangudi Bird Sanctuary in 1977.

“The sanctuary hosts rich birdlife, including the Black-headed White Ibis and Open-bill Stork as keystone species, along with cormorants, darters, spoonbills, herons, egrets, and whistling ducks. Even the rare Chinese Pond Heron has recently been sighted here,” added Sahu.

She explained that as the villagers view the birds as a “divine sign”, holding them in reverence, they willingly participated in what ecologists term “community-driven conservation”.

“Our role in this village is limited to thanking them. Every year, the District Collector and Forest Department officials visit them with sweets during Diwali, a gesture of gratitude for this community’s enduring devotion to coexistence,” said Sahu.

The example set by Vettangudipatti soon inspired nearby Kollukudipatti, where residents also stopped bursting firecrackers. About 20 years ago, nearly ten villages surrounding the Vellode Bird Sanctuary in Erode, located about 250 km from Sivaganga, followed suit to protect migratory birds.

The Vellode Bird Sanctuary, spread over 77.85 hectares of land under the Vadamugam Vellode panchayat, was established in 1996. It is surrounded by several large villages including P. Merrupalayam, Pungampadi, Thalaiya Kattu Valasu, Thachenkary Vazhi, Semmempalayam and Ellapalayam.

Residents there realised that visiting birds brought in birdwatchers and tourists, which helped locals earn additional income. “But we realised that if we burst crackers during Deepavali, when the birds hatch eggs, it scares the birds away. So, we celebrate with ‘kambi mathappu’ (sparklers) and ‘bussvanam’ (flowerpots),” said Ponnusamy and Mosuvannan, residents of Vellode.

Sahu’s social media post, which has garnered over 24,000 views, also drew attention to other Tamil Nadu villages that have adopted similar practices.

“There are a few more,” wrote an X user, identifying Perumbur, near Sirkazhi in Mayiladuthurai, and Kittampalayam in Coimbatore. According to reports he shared, both villages host thousands of bats roosting in banyan and tamarind trees, and villagers have consciously decided to avoid firecrackers to protect them.

“All these are beautiful examples of enduring devotion to nature. They also show us how harmony between man and nature can be nurtured and how Deepavali can be a festival of light and compassion,” said Sahu.

PTI