In an unusual twist to holiday cheer, Sovima village has declared its intentions to go green and eco-friendly this Christmas, aiming to set the stage as a model for other villages – but not without an unconventional approach.
Sebastian Zumvü, the Chairman of Sovima Village Council, expressed bewilderment over what he deems an insensible tendency to celebrate Christmas with firecrackers, disturbing the peace and quiet of the entire neighborhood and, in his words, “defeating the very basic of Christmas: Silent Night, Holy Night.”
In a tongue-in-cheek statement, Zumvü told this newspaper that the Sovima Village Council has decided not to announce strictures on bursting of firecrackers, choosing instead to appeal to the supposed “sensibilities of citizens.” Zumvü questioned whether creating noise pollution aligns with the true spirit of Christmas in the village.
The Council is taking an imaginative shot by encouraging celebrants to ditch the noise and, instead, contribute a few rupees – perhaps a hundred or two – to the overall development of the village. In a nod to the absurdity of spending substantial amounts of money on fleeting joy induced by firecracker explosions, Sovima Council proposes a budget-friendly alternative for a merrier Christmas.
Adding an innovative twist, the Sovima Council forewarned potential noisemakers to be prepared to contribute triple or more to the village’s welfare. Zumvü mentioned that “volunteers armed with geo-tagging tools” will be on standby to track the bursts of festive enthusiasm. Failure to comply, as Zumvü puts it, shall be dealt with seriously to the extent of asking the property owners to surrender their land holding certificates.
Zumvü took a lighthearted jab at the Supreme Court’s proposed thirty-minute firecracker window on December 25, suggesting “Sovima shall waive it off, and do away with it completely.”