Celebrate Eco-Friendly Diwali
Part I: My Fantasy Map:
Map Link (for a clearer picture): https://my.visme.co/view/90me6meg-untitled-project
PART II: My Fantasy Narrative:
My vision for the map was to create something that would showcase different aspects that contribute to the celebration of Diwali. Also, displaying how different cultures around the world have added a tradition to make their citizens feel welcome and connected with one another. Initially, I was planning on working on a map of Asia, as a whole, but I decided to display countries (India, U.K. Pakistan, U.S., Myannmar, Malaysia, Austrialia) that have a large population of Indians. A concept I wanted to include in the map was the immigration patterns. Immigration patterns are important because that is a way for us to understand how and why different nations around the globe are more inclusive than others. Moreover, becoming more aware of other cultures’ traditions contributes to creating a well-rounded globe citizen. I wanted to include the importance of celebrating Diwali in an environmentally friendly manner, which led me to creating that as one of the symbols on the map. The eco-friendly icon is there to showcase to other arounds the globe that there are numerous people who are still celebrating the traditions of Diwali in a way that does not negatively affect the environment. To show the location, I added an Equator line and a compass on the top as an aesthesis element and as a tool to help visualize the countries. To make it more creative, I added a few facts about the Festival of Lights. Also, I created a separate key that incorporated different types of colourful shapes as symbols that represent different aspects of the main takeaways.
I chose this particular topic because I believe it’s an important to learn about all the traditions that occur around the globe. Personally, I know people who celebrate Diwali which made me curious to know more about the history of Diwali and how it's celebrated. Becoming more aware of other cultures is an important aspect of being a global citizen which is something that is important to my values. Also, it connects to the environment because Diwali generates a lot of pollution. Therefore, I want to explore this topic in more depth and hopefully provide a safer method to celebrate this festival that is friendly to the environment. The fantastic element about my product is to create an environment in which we can celebrate Diwali in an eco-friendly manner. Also, to spread awareness of this festival and its history. Currently India is the highest populated country in the world and contributes to 17.7% of the world’s total population. Diwali is the most celebrated festival in India. This will help us gain more knowledge or some insight into the traditions of countries or people that share different traditions from us.
It’s a well-known fact that Diwali generates a massive amount of pollution. There are numerous celebrities that tell the public to not celebrate it because it causes pollution. Over the years, pollution in India has become a major issue because the air people breathe is being affected among other things. By providing a solution to honour the history of the festival in an environmentally friendly way would benefit the people living in India and globally. By explaining the effects of Diwali on the environment and on the animals, I hope it will help convince the public to adjust the way they celebrate the festival.
Environmental studies mostly focus on human impact and interaction with the climate. My topic discusses multiple aspects of this, I have included negative influences of human impact on the environment in my map. For example, I included an icon to represent the negative influences over the globe. With my map, I am trying to present cultural influences of humans on the environment and how the immigration patterns contribute to it. The countries on my map and their positions are following the standard global map structure and placement of each country. I have focused on a couple of countries that have seen immigration from India. The reason I choose those countries is to educate and inform others on the traditions of their neighbours. Also, I think maps similar to mine should be used for everyone who is wanting to learn about our environment through a cultural lens. My map is a great way for people to learn about different elements of Diwali, where it originated from, and what important it holds globally. I think mapmakers should create and pay attention to more colourful and creative maps which can help us educate and inform topics related to environmental studies more efficiently. As maps are a useful tool as they support spatial thinking by helping people visualize where objects are in relation to one another.
Part III: Bibliography:
“All about Diwali - the Festival of Lights! | CBC Kids.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/whats-the-story-diwali.
Environment - the Ill-Effects of Firecrackers. www.robinage.com/environment/the-ill-effects-of-firecrackers.htm.
Pathak, Binita, et al. Short-Term Introduction of Pollutants into the Atmosphere at a Location in the Brahmaputra BASIN: A Case Study. 5 Jan. 2016, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1309104215302300#bbib0010.
Perfect Pollution Services, et al. Effects of Fireworks in Diwali. www.ppsthane.com/blog/effects-of-fireworks-diwali.