Veteran actor Soni Razdan has responded to a social media user who questioned her opposition to bursting firecrackers on Diwali, bringing up son-in-law Ranbir Kapoor’s portrayal of Lord Ram in ‘Ramayana’. Razdan clarified that her remarks were not rooted in religious beliefs but were prompted by concerns over worsening air pollution and its impact on public health, particularly that of children.Soni recently shared a detailed post highlighting how air pollution affects children and adults, pointing out that many young children are falling ill and missing school because of it. Her post read, “Any parent of a young child will tell you how much their children are suffering because of air pollution. How many school days they miss because of illness. So if you tell me that, in such circumstances, it is perfectly alright to burst even ONE cracker this Diwali, I can only say that it seems to me to be anti-life, anti-health and yes... anti-national. Health is a choice we make for ourselves and our children. Let us make the right one.”In the caption, she stressed that choosing not to burst crackers should not be seen as an act against the country. She wrote, “Bursting crackers is not what makes you nationalistic. And choosing not to burst them is certainly not anti-national. What I find deeply irresponsible, however, is knowingly contributing to the appalling air pollution that is making it increasingly difficult for people to breathe. If we are going to use the term anti-national, then surely putting the health of an entire community at risk for the sake of a few moments of personal pleasure is a far more relevant place to start.“She further emphasised that the issue had nothing to do with religion, adding, “And must every conversation about something as basic as public health be turned into a debate about religion? This is NOT about religion. It is about AIR. It is about children falling ill, missing school and struggling to breathe. It is about the health and wellbeing of every citizen of this country, irrespective of their religion, faith or beliefs.“The ‘Shaque’ actress also urged people not to give her message a religious interpretation. “So for those who are trying to use my post as a negative about religion, which it is definitely not… please don’t twist a simple message about collective responsibility into something it was never intended to be. Because these are your children too. They are everyone’s children. And they deserve to breathe clean air. Surely that is something we can all agree on?”Her comments prompted a response from an X user, who pointed to Ranbir Kapoor’s role as Lord Ram in ‘Ramayana’ and the association of Diwali with Lord Ram’s return to Ayodhya. The user wrote, “Soni Razdan is Ranbir’s mom-in-law. The irony is that Ranbir is playing Ram, whose return to Ayodhya is celebrated as Deepawali, when people light diyas and burst crackers. Yet she says bursting crackers on Diwali is anti-life, anti-health and above all, ‘anti-national’. Really!”
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Soni hit back at the carison, reiterating that her objection was to the pollution caused by firecrackers and not the festival itself. She responded, “Then you are simply unable to see the wood for the trees. It’s not bursting crackers that is anti-national. What is anti-national is the fact that you are contributing to the terrible air pollution. My goodness. No wonder we all can’t breathe (sic).”She also pointed out that people were missing the central message of her post by viewing it through a religious lens. “People can’t understand a simple message because they think every statement is about religion. It’s not. It’s about air. And children are struggling,” she wrote.“Because it’s your children, everyone’s children, irrespective of which religion they belong to, who are suffering. And so are the citizens of this country. I’m assuming that also includes you,” she added.‘Ramayana’ has released in theatres today, November 5.
