The darker side of the festival of lights



It must have been an eventful and exciting week for Indian teenagers. Diwali, the festival of lights, has been celebrated with much pomp and circumstance by the Indian community, with people’s calendars bursting at the seams with parties, family reunions and hairdressing appointments.

Glittering traditional clothes – a size larger than usual to allow for festive feasting – are being snapped up, where you can’t see the fabric for all the sparkly sequins sewn into it. My favourite part, the food, has happily not been compromised. My dad just came home from a trip to India, bringing along mounds of sweets that far outshine the feeble culinary efforts available here in Dubai.

It used to be that the point of Diwali was to light lots of little earthen lamps around the house that would bring good fortune, transforming it into a softly glowing sort of candlelit fairy castle. If you couldn’t be bothered to roll hundreds of pieces of cotton into makeshift wicks, douse them in oil, stick them in clay lamps and try to light them with a match that kept going out – that was fine. Ikea, as usual, came to the rescue, with its big packs of tealight candles that look authentic enough.

Sadly, the magic is being siphoned out of the festival by the advent of the electric fairy light that rears its head all over Indian cities during Diwali time. They’re not delicate, far-scattered fairy lights, either, but great big tubes of megawatt bulbs that flash on and off like advertising billboards in New York’s Times Square and guzzle far too much power in just one night. Instead of pretty hamlets awash in a luminescent smoulder, you get the eye-watering blaze of a Hollywood celebrity smile and a wistful longing for your Ray-Bans.

Things don’t look any brighter on the sound and air pollution front. Teenagers must plead guilty to being the worst perpetrators when it comes to firecrackers. Don’t get me wrong: I like things that go bang as much as the next immature – or average – teenager. When we are in Delhi, though, the incessant cacophony of youngsters setting off deafening fireworks keeps us awake all night. The next day, hospitals are overrun by asthmatics, the elderly and small children wheezing for breath through the lingering smog that settles over the city. And that’s not counting those with singed eyebrows or more serious burns.

To compound the problem, most of these fireworks have been manufactured in a small town called Sivakasi, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where factory workers include children and teenagers. Accidents and fires are common due to little regard for safety standards and it is tragic that our celebrations are founded upon the abominable working conditions of people as young as, or younger, than us.

I am all for the partying, feasting, tealight-shopping and bonhomie that come with Diwali. Even having to politely endure relatives you haven’t seen all year critically examining your physical appearance is bearable. However, I could certainly do without the noise, smog and health problems that come with whole cities setting off fireworks.

The writer is a 17-year-old student in Dubai

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Western Region Asia Cup T20 Qualifier

Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August

 

Group A

Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar

 

Group B

UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):

British group

Coldplay

Foals

Bring me the Horizon

D-Block Europe

Bastille

British Female

Mabel

Freya Ridings

FKA Twigs

Charli xcx

Mahalia​

British male

Harry Styles

Lewis Capaldi

Dave

Michael Kiwanuka

Stormzy​

Best new artist

Aitch

Lewis Capaldi

Dave

Mabel

Sam Fender

Best song

Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care

Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up

Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant

Dave - Location

Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart

AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove

Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved

Tom Walker - Just You and I

Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger

Stormzy - Vossi Bop

International female

Ariana Grande

Billie Eilish

Camila Cabello

Lana Del Rey

Lizzo

International male

Bruce Springsteen

Burna Boy

Tyler, The Creator

Dermot Kennedy

Post Malone

Best album

Stormzy - Heavy is the Head

Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka

Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent

Dave - Psychodrama

Harry Styles - Fine Line

Rising star

Celeste

Joy Crookes

beabadoobee

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale

Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni

Director: Amith Krishnan

Rating: 3.5/5

Bangladesh tour of Pakistan

January 24 – First T20, Lahore

January 25 – Second T20, Lahore

January 27 – Third T20, Lahore

February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi

April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi

April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
The biog

Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology

Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels

Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs

Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding