Sattemma belongs to a beggar family. Her son meant the world to her. Paying for his school expenses was a back breaking job for her. For Diwali, she felt bad about not being able to buy crackers for him.
She went from street to street asking for alms and finally managed to gather some crackers. She rushed home to gift them to her 4 year old son expecting a sparkle in his eyes.
"Dear, see what I ve brought for you! Go, burst them. But, be careful!", she said.
With no excitement at all, he said,"No ma, I am not going to play with them! Yesterday, our principal talked about ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION, NOISE POLLUTION, GLOBAL WARMING, CLIMATIC CHANGE. I have understood a bit about it but don't know what they exactly mean. But, I have clearly seen elderly beggars who stayed roadside, passing away due to the loud noise of the crackers which begin from 12 am, my father and many people like him fainting away on roads while asking for alms due to high temperatures. I don't want to be even a slightest cause for all this. "
On hearing this, his mother hugged him tightly and planted a kiss on his cheek. "What will you become when you grow up?", she asked.
"When I grow up, I will tell the people about these happenings and ask them to protect the lives of people and our environment.(Environmental Conservationist in his words)", came his reply.
The next day, his mom went to his school and thanked the principal for creating awareness among students on such issues when everyone else taught only the safety measures to be taken while bursting crackers.
I wish the teachers and parents had taught children, the impact Diwali alone made on the environment and the urgent need to celebrate Eco—friendly Diwali.
