Today’s Situation Of ‘Fireflies’ Festival’
Before the rainy season, an unprecedented celebration of nature usually begins in the forests and in the trees and bushes around the villages. It is a festival of fireflies blinking everywhere. Their ceremony is indescribable. In reality, the onset of the rainy season is a crucial time for fireflies for their breeding. The future of the firefly species depends on it. In some species, both male and female fireflies glow, while in some species only male fireflies glow to attract female fireflies. For us, this incident is eye-popping, but for the fireflies, it is a life struggle! Because season’s success will take their next generation further, and this is the only opportunity of the year for them.
We urban dwellers, however, cannot experience this phenomenon because we have not kept any habitable conditions for any other forms of life to survive in the city. But then somehow from somewhere we get to know that every year a lot of fireflies arrive near certain village. We all who has already destroyed the nature in the city find a self-generated opportunity and a certificate to visit such places singing a common song along – we should save nature, everyone should enjoy this festival of fireflies which will help pumping love for nature among all, also employment would get created for the people of the villages.
A few years ago, we gave a cherubic name to the event of going for watching the fireflies or to the conference of fireflies – The ‘Fireflies Festival’. Some of the nature-lovers with the intention of making people aware about the nature started telling through this festival about fireflies, trees, the environment, other living things and we humans ultimately how all are dependent on each other. They might have had some success as well. But then if those who will not show their original selfish instincts, if those who will not strike at the very purpose of the intent, then how could one call us humans? In the last few years, we, the people of the city, have started showing our epicurean tendencies by taking advantage of this festival of fireflies.
Completely ignoring the information fervently provided by the nature lovers, people those who behave by their own will, carelessly, when they visit other places to watch fireflies, tourists carrying high beam torchlights (who don’t even care about the effect of the beam on fireflies’ activity) ignoring the fireflies themselves, over-smarts carelessly trampling on fireflies, self-proclaimed ‘Firefly Researchers’ handling the fireflies irresponsibly, throng of people, the raging music players, the hustle and bustle, the luxuriance of food, the vehicle traffic in the forest at night, garbage everywhere, and even in such an unfortunate situation the amateur photographers trying their hands on the camera to take a good picture of bioluminescence, the irresponsible organizers, and the helpless hosts. We have seen this picture very closely. Well, we are never even aware of these crimes. We never even realize that we have done something wrong. Fireflies Festival has now become a firefly bazaar! Far from conserving fireflies and nature, we have begun to destroy the remaining habitats as well. The fireflies’ festival that is celebrated without any hindrance to fireflies and nocturnal creatures has become an exceptional event. Unfortunately, the damage caused by the indiscriminately behaving tourists outweighs any benefits of such exceptions.
It is pertinent to mention here that in ancient times the Guru did not directly start teaching the disciple about how to use the ‘Divyastra’ (divine weapon) however each disciple was first being examined thoroughly and then the Guru would decide what caliber each disciple carries. Only then was the certain knowledge being imparted to the disciple. The same thing applies here today as well. If one wants to impart knowledge of forestry or teach others how to at least respectfully enjoy the nature, one must start with the basics first. Fireflies experience is a very advanced stage in this process because by inviting all, those who do not even understand the life cycles in the nature, into the fireflies’ habitat we are as good as handing them over the ‘Divyastra’. Not everyone has the maturity required to know how to use it constructively, how to enjoy it to the fullest.
Therefore, sharing such things with immatures is not going to help nature. Hence nature lovers themselves should now put an end to this so-called fireflies' festivals, more precisely the bazaars, that have completely strayed from their original purpose.
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