These Tamil Nadu villages skip Diwali crackers every year — to protect bats
In villages across the state, people have chosen quiet Diwalis for generations so fruit bats roosting nearby aren't scared away.
- ~2,000 flying foxes in Kittampalayam
- ~350 families went cracker-free
- Bats = pollinators & seed spreaders
What's happening
In Perambur in Mayiladuthurai district, villagers have skipped firecrackers at Diwali for more than a century because hundreds of fruit bats roost in a banyan tree they call Vavvaal Thoppu. Similar traditions exist in Kazhuperumpakkam near Vanur, Thoppupatti and Saampatti in Tiruchirappalli district, and Kalapattu near Katpadi.
Near Coimbatore, around 350 families in Kittampalayam agreed to avoid crackers to protect about 2,000 Indian flying foxes.
Why we love it
Sudden bangs and flashes can terrify bats and drive colonies away. These villages treat the bats as neighbours — and prove that a festival of lights doesn't need to be a festival of noise.
