About time we made Indian festivals casualty-free

Search operation underway at Versova beach. Pic/Syyed Sameer Abedi

In a tragedy, three young men have lost their lives in Versova, drowning as they went into the sea for Ganesh visarjan. Two others were rescued. Reports stated that a huge wave pulled them into the sea.

This edit space has repeatedly highlighted reports about accidents in water bodies. It spoke about the deceptive calmness of water and how the power of this element can take you by surprise within seconds.

That having been said, we now must make a concerted effort to avert all unfortunate accidents during festive times, pre, during and post festivals.

One has to be especially careful during visarjan, going into the water only to a very small depth and then letting the experts take over. The numerous artificial ponds in the city are a welcome aspect of this beautiful festival.

Soon, we will have the festival of Navratri and while it will still be a while to ascertain what shape that will take, whether it will be allowed at all, the accent should be on safety once again. Very small gatherings or none at all, in these times and every guideline followed.

Then of course we have Diwali, a festival full of lights and bright. Every effort should be made to take utmost caution even if celebrating in a downplayed way. From crackers to lighting diyas, this colourful celebration must once again keep safety first.

In fact, all celebrations, every festival irrespective of religion must be about caution. Whether it be processions, on foot or on vehicles or any other type of gatherings, let us observe all with discipline amongst devotion and restraint amongst revelry.

Let us move towards zero casualty, zero injuries when it comes to each and every festival and give real meaning to the happiness, we wish all on these days.