The people in India are touchy when it comes to matters of religion and culture. People identify themselves closely to the practices associated with the religions and beliefs they have. But the extreme kind of socially conservative response from left-wing groups to the majority of the population who follow Hindu ideology and celebrate Hindu festivals have ignited a debate about the element of cultural hypocrisy present in such reactions. The new addition to it is the Deepawali celebrations that are carried out with great fervour throughout the nation. Journalists and celebrities who distance themselves from being critics of any cultural practices of other communities jump in to give a thought about how Hindu festivals are oppressive and how can we celebrate it without harming the nature.
The new row is about a cracker free “Green Deepawali” without crackers. Needless to say that these people never raise their voices against the use of crackers during parties, new year celebrations or their own weddings. But they want to give a piece of their mouth to sound ‘cool’ when it comes to Hindu celebrations.
Here is a list of such celebrities –
Yuvraj Singh
Shashi Tharoor
Man who forcefully says no to fireworks enjoyed a farrago of fireworks display himself! (H/T Anand Ranganathan).
Anushka Sharma
