RAJKOT, Oct 19: Twelve-year-old Amit Doshi and his eight-year-old brother Dhimant will not burst crackers this year. So are 14-year-old Mayank Shah, 11-year-old Kevin Gandhi and his younger brother Sagar and Paras Doshi. They belong to the nearly 400-odd boys and girls of the Jain community who on Monday pledged in public not to use fireworks to mark the Diwali celebrations.Sixteen-year-old Paras, studying in Class XI has in fact not touched crackers for the last five years. He says he has shunned crackers after he learnt that bursting crackers involve violence. "I will buy something else," he replied when asked as to what he is going to do to celebrate Diwali.Mayank Shah, a Class VIII student explains that his decision followed the preachings by Veenabai and Bhavnabai Satiji. Bursting firecrackers mean committing a sin of killing six cows, he argues. This is the second year that he has pledged not to celebrate the festival with crackers.Twelve-year-old Amit points out that firework means committing a sin. "Mummy told me," he answered when asked who told him so. He had burst crackers only once in his short life. His eight-year-old brother Dhimant, however, was quick to add that he has so far not touched crackers at all. "We will sit in our pappa's shop," they replied when asked how they are going to celebrate the festival.These boys and girls who took `pachkan' (pledge) not to burst crackers were felicitated by Mahavir Sewa Trust on Monday. It's chairman Chandrakant Sheth informs that his organisation is felicitating such children for the last ten years. "Children are not forced to take pledge. They either follow the preachings by our monks or get inspired by their parents," he clarifies.The mass pledge by children every year on the occasion of Diwali started some 20 years back when late Mooliben Jamnadas Mehta, a teacher by profession asked children to shun the use of crackers.Premchandbhai Parekh, a Jain community leader, explains, quoting the Jain philosophy that bursting of crackers involve violence in the form of six karmas. One is committing Gyanavarniya karma by de stroying letters on fire crackers and boxes in which they are packed. Another is Darshnavarniya karma as bursting of crackers invariably kills or injures hundreds of small insects. Third is Mohniya karma which he describes worst of the karmas. Aantray karma is another sin committed by taking away or disturbing lives of small insects. Committing this crime means disturbing one's next life.Bursting of crackers also mean committing Vedniya karma, Ayushya karma, Nam karma and Gotra karma, points out Parekh.He and Sheth argue that the economic aspect and the possibility of burn injuries involved in bursting crackers, apart from the religious reasons, are sufficient enough to induce children not to use fireworks. "We, therefore felicitate the children for the sacrifice they make." They hope that more and more children would see reason behind this and shun fireworks.
