In the dead of the night, there is silence. A few dogs barking maybe, a rocket going off at some distance. That much noise we’re used to… because it is Diwali. Things are calm, and we can sleep peacefully. And then suddenly the first few ladis burst and destroy the absolute stillness of the night. And it doesn’t stop there, as the constipated explosions take place for (what feels like) the longest 10 minutes of your life.
All available crackers are a big nuisance, but I’ve found the 10,000 ladi crackers to be the biggest of them all. I don’t see the point. I cannot think of any reason, why anyone would be amused or find satisfaction from bursting ten thousands of those crackers.
Folks who burst 10000 ki ladi, why not just unfurl a string of speakers down your lane & play Avicii on full for ten minutes? Less mess also
— Rohan (@mojorojo) October 22, 2014
The noise is not nearly f***ing pleasant to warrant repeat performances. And don’t even get me started about the smoke and the waste it leaves behind… it makes me cough blood out. Almost.
Among all the crackers that adorn the pavements behind our buildings, ladi has to be the most irritating one. While the regular sparklers, chakris and anars are an exhibition of gunpowder and light, there are others like the chocolate bomb and atom bomb which explode in one loud bang which last practically a second. There’s nothing more infuriating than having to tolerate the constant explosions of the ladi bombs, over an extended period of time.
There are people studying, elderly people who are ill and are probably trying to get rest. The pet animals at home and on the street, who get frightened by the sound and run around in panic. How does the ladi make anyone happy?
Do they love how the road smells, the crap left behind on the road or the lovely noise it makes? I understand the whole argument of wanting to do whatever the f**k you want to do as free citizens of the world’s largest democracy – but how about some sensitivity?
What are you really achieving by burning all that money – destroying your neighbourhood and the environment and along with that also inconveniencing the hundreds around? Someone eliciting joy out of such a demented festival tradition should probably find something better to do with learning a few things. Also, these crackers are generally burned on roads which makes plying in vehicles an actual hazard.
If I could, I would go and burn someone’s favourite crackers in their own home. Especially with a 10,000-piece ladi in the house of someone who unabashedly chooses to harass his neighbours for his own fucked up amusement.
I would let the sound echo, leave that trash and smoke behind in their home and then want to see their faces for the atrocities they inflict on their neighbours. Still amusing much?
