400 Jain children say no to crackers

Sixteen-year-old Paras, studying in Class XI, has in fact not touched crackers for the last five years. He says he shunned crackers after he learnt that bursting crackers involved violence.

Twelve-year-old Amit points out that fireworks mean committing a sin. “Mummy told me,” he answered when asked who said so. He had burst crackers only once in his life. His eight-year-old brotherDhimant, however, was quick to add that he has so far not touched crackers at all. “We sat in our pappa’s shop,” they replied when asked how they celebrated the festival.These boys and girls who took “pachkan (pledge)” not to burst crackers were felicitated by the Mahavir Sewa Trust. It’s chairman Chandrakant Sheth says his organisation felicitates such children for the last 10 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 leader, explains that according to Jain philosophy, bursting of crackers involve violence in the form of six karmas. Among them are: Gyanavarniya karma by destroying letters on fire crackers and boxes in which they are packed; Darshnavarniya karma as crackersinvariably kill or injure hundreds of small insects; Antray karma; Vedniya karma, Ayushya karma, Nam karma and Gotra karma.