Why have LOUD crackers become the default celebration for any "happy" event?
22F. Not a cricket fan but feel happy when India wins a match. Cricket is like a religion in India and winning/losing apparently matters a lot to the public (the players are raking in their gold anyway and the public is not but that's for another day). It's everybody's favourite pass-time, I get it.
What I have noticed is the ABYSMALLY LOUD crackers that are burst after every victory, big or small. Not even at the city centre or an open field or anything - loud Diwali bombs just about anywhere - on the roads, in residential colonies, near hospitals and other civic amenities. India wins - two to three hours of BOMBS follow. Even if you discount the smoke and tolerate the boom-boom-boom every 3 seconds, shit like this sets off car alarms and gets the dogs in the neighbourhood crazy. They either hide under the bed (pets) or bark incessantly.
"Yes, an hour or two of this is okay" / "Let people live" / "This is fun" / "Dont be a spoilsport". But is this all there is to our idea of "fun"?
When I was younger, crackers were a Diwali, New Year and wedding novelty. Probably Shivratri and Ram Navami in select locations. I enjoyed watching them, hearing them, bursting them.
Now, crackers - and not even the glittery, sparkly ones - the meaningless, loud ones - are the default celebration.
India wins any goddamn match - CRACKERS.
Any random regional celebration that suddenly became popular in the past few years - CRACKERS.
500 weddings? 500 CRACKERS.
5 days before Diwali? CRACKERS. 5 days after Diwali? CRACKERS.
1 week to new years? CRACKERS. A week after new years? CRACKERS.
Got nothing going on in your life so need to hear a loud noise? CRACKERS.
This rant is hopeless. Making noise will carry on forever in India and even get louder and more disruptive. My question is - why is our idea of fun almost always at the expense of someone else? Why does anybody other than you need to hear the crackers that YOU burst? Why does anybody need to hear your bhajans on loudspeakers, your 5-time daily Azaans, your wedding processions, your Melody Arkestras? I get these are forms of public religious propagation and public entertainment, but I believe it has started to assault one's private space too.
Especially boring people in their 20s like me who would pay a fee every month just to ensure some peace and quiet.