Diwali is upon us. Diyas are lit in every house and the sky is lit up with firecrackers that explode in a shower of many-coloured lights. However, Diwali is more a festival of fire than a festival of lights. This is a time when parents have to make sure to watch their children like hawks to make sure that they don't get their fingers or other parts burnt. Children are drawn to fire like moths to a flame.
Fire is a beautiful thing after all, fascinating even to adults.
It doesn t need a festival like Diwali to bring out this urge. Most children have played with matches by the time they hit puberty. Children find it difficult to take warnings against playing with fire seriously. After all, fire has so many positive associations in our daily lives. The first spark Children strike that first match purely out of curiosity to see whether they too can create this fascinating thing called a fire.