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Tamil Nadu: Seven villages in Tamil Nadu’s Erode district celebrated Diwali without bursting crackers to protect the bird population at the nearby bird sanctuary in Vadamugam Vellore. Instead of loud firecrackers, they illuminated the festival with lights.
The villages are situated approximately 10 kilometers from Erode around Vadamugam Vellode, where the bird sanctuary is located. During the breeding season, which spans from October to January, the sanctuary becomes a haven for thousands of local and migratory birds that arrive to lay and hatch their eggs.
Recognizing the sensitivity of the period, which also coincides with Diwali, over 900 families living nearby have resolved to have a quiet celebration to avoid disturbing the feathered residents. They have been adopting this conservation-oriented approach for the last 22 years.
Instead of loud fireworks, they purchase new clothes for their children and limit the festivities to the lighting of sparklers. 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.
The silent Diwali celebration has ensured that the birds remain undisturbed, allowing them to thrive in their natural habitat. 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.
