India, Nov. 7 -- On the morning of Dhanteras, I was tending to the plants on my terrace when the loud, rhythmic beats of dhols and nagadas caught my attention. A wedding was under way in our housing society. The percussion set me thinking.

The illumination associated with Diwali, the festival of lights, can easily be achieved with lamps, diyas and lanterns. A festive atmosphere can be created through the powerful beats of drums, without polluting the air, unlike the bursting of firecrackers. Yet the noise and excitement of bursting firecrackers seem to have acquired a significance of their own during one of north India's most important festivals.

Why, I wondered, are we willing to compromise our ability to breathe, filling our lungs wit...