NIMBY Diwali

In the late seventies, the acronym NIMBY, Not In My BackYard came to fore.  I just witnessed what it meant in real world.

This is my second year in a row celebrating Diwali in Delhi.  Delhiites really put out a great show.  Houses decorated with running bulbs, and all sorts of decorations.  Some even hire professionals to decorate their homes.  A walk through the suburban streets at night is a treat, but, its really not safe.  There are firecrackers, loud and very loud everywhere.  Last year Delhiites spent one crore rupees on fireworks on Diwali.  Beautiful rockets and all sorts of fireworks.  So, the safest place is to be on your own balcony.

But there is a problem, no one wants crackers lit n front of their house.  As I watched a young man try to set a cracker on the road, the woman lives in the flat above me shouts - not here go forward, I do not like the smoke.  Then she coughs.  The young man obliges and move his anchor forward.  Guess what, the man from the opposite balcony yells, not here my boy, my new car is parked here.  The frustrated boy puts his head down.  Remove the anchor and gets into his house.  I wondered why he would not light it in front of his own flat.  May be elders in his home told him not to do that.

About 15 minutes later, on lookers from both balconies have gone, except me, I see the boy coming out of his flat with his father.  Puts the firecracker just where he wanted in the first place, as the father provides cover for the operation.  Well  he need not.  There weren't anyone to protest.  But the whole thing ends in anti-climax.  The firecracker fizzled!