Diwali has become a festival of smoke, dust and noise than light. Moreover each year India imports a majestic magnitude of crackers, diyas and other diwali essentials from China, which itself put the Indian market in dark and recession. A condition that is unbearable for a developing country. But going against this trend, the students at IIT Kharagpur, do keep no stone unturned to make Diwali eco friendly and “India-genic”. The students here celebrate Diwali in a unique way entitled “Illumination” or more dearly called “Illu”, having its inception past 4 decades.
The students erect gigantic bamboo structure with diyas projecting a theme and reflecting the true and pure spirit of Diwali. The raw materials for creation of these beautiful structures are purely indigenous, being bought from local vendors makes Illu “Make in India”-centric. The different themes presented by different halls reflect the culture and history of the nation. Behind these beautiful structures resorts the uncountable hours of dedication and creativity of the students. The oil used in the diyas are well experimented with varying combination to sustain the diyas for a long time with minimum smoke production. With no air pollution and no harmful waste accumulation, the whole campus inhabiting around 10,000 students celebrates Diwali with all their heart.
With the astounding combination of colors, light and obviously the creativity of the students, Rangoli adds the sparkle to the festival. The colors being purely indigenous and non-toxic make the celebration eco friendly. Each year, each hall with a good blend of art and technology presents their rangoli which startles everyone who happen to see them.
The students of IIT Kharagpur celebrate Diwali causing no harm to the Mother Nature and using indigenous raw materials which provides substantial revenue to the local vendors in compliance with the “Make in India” movement, the dream of our Prime Minister. The great reduction in waste accumulation post Diwali due to bursting of crackers also contributes to the “Swacch Bharat Abhiyan” movement. All these factors make Illumination a unique way of celebrating Diwali spreading a wave of inspiration throughout the nation and intriguing the whole nation to celebrate Diwali with indigenous sources and low pollution.