Early this year, my essay titled “Fireflies at Grandma’s place” was published in The Wire!
I got the mail in the middle of my trip to Bhutan. After spending the whole day in Punakha, my friend and I returned to our hotel. I opened my mail to browse and saw a confirmation that they would like to publish it in the coming week, and asked me for a headshot and an author bio.
I’m not sure how many of you reading have actually seen fireflies for real, but I believe we all know about them, thanks to so many popular songs. From Owl City to When Chai met Toast and Papon, fireflies have often found their place in lyrics. We have also got glimpses of it in movies. Did you watch the heartbreakingly beautiful Ghibli film - “Grave of the Fireflies”? (If not, do add it to your watchlist).
Whoever saw fireflies for real will know that they are pure “magic” in the real world! One doesn’t have to be a child to get lost in awe seeing a swarm of fireflies! I hope that everyone gets to experience the joy of watching them at least once in their life for real, but we need to stop going to the “festivals” created around it, now!
There are many conscious tour groups and travellers who are taking a careful stance in leading trips focused on fireflies. I’m sure that the intention might be right — to create awareness, to educate, along with making people experience nature in its most raw and beautiful form. But of late, such experiences, which are meant to be “offbeat”, have been exposed widely and turned into festivals. It has become second nature for us to capture moments through photographs and videos, and also turn them into content. I truly say this with love and with no offence meant: Doesn’t matter how “sustainable, mindful, conscious” we are as a travel company or a traveller — we need to stop promoting “fireflies festivals” or even using fireflies as a selling point for our hiking trips!
One thing that we all have to understand is that you and I can be responsible in delicate surroundings, but not everyone is. People click pictures even if they are not allowed, they break rules and call it “fun” – and the most important point is that if we continue these festivals, then in no time, fireflies will vanish!
They are delicate creatures - sensitive to light, noise, pollution. In my home state, Assam, it’s almost vanished, and that’s also the case in Goa. My essay in The Wire is about my childhood memories in Assam where I was fortunate to have grown up amongst jonaki poruwa (fireflies in Assamese), and now it is hardly seen. While living in Goa, my house owner shared a similar memory of diminishing kazulo (fireflies in Konkani) in his quaint Goan village surrounded by mangroves and backwaters. So, wherever they still exist now, in abundance, can we please let them be?
Will it be fair if we become so hellbent on catching them for real, and in pictures, that we would rather wipe them away for our own selfish pleasure?
Recommendation:
The Wire’s “It’s the Small Things” segment. This was where my essay was published, and it’s filled with so many beautiful essays about memories, nostalgia, the beauty of little yet significant things, that have the capability to make your day. Do have a look.
Watch the Japanese animated film, Grave of the Fireflies — one of the many masterpieces to come out of Studio Ghibli. Available on Netflix, it is a story of two orphaned siblings during war. I must warn you that it will break your heart into pieces, and that’s exactly what good storytelling about human relationships & suffering during dark times do. Here’s to art that roots for love and humanity.
Source: Google Images
I am Namrata Gohain, a designer-turned-storyteller, writer, and content producer. I document stories on responsible travel, crafts, cuisine, slow living, and my creative journey. I have worked extensively in the Indian artisanal craft sector as the founder of a sustainable craft label and collaborated with mindful brands and social impact-driven initiatives for over a decade.
Share this publication with someone who prefers thoughtful storytelling.
You may also like:
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.