In Perambur, Diwali has been silent for 100 years — for the sake of its bats

As the rest of Tamil Nadu glitters and booms with Diwali lights and fireworks, the small village of Perambur, near Kollidam in Mayiladuthurai district, celebrates differently — in complete silence.

For more than a century, the people of Perambur have upheld an extraordinary vow: no firecrackers, no burning of waste, and no loud celebrations. Their reason is as simple as it is profound — to protect hundreds of bats that roost in an enormous banyan tree about a kilometre from the village.

The sprawling banyan, believed to be over 150 years old, shelters colonies of Indian flying foxes (Pteropus giganteus), large fruit bats that are essential seed dispersers and pollinators in the region’s ecosystem. The tree — revered locally as vaal eeram maram or 'the grove of tails' — is not just a landmark but the centre of the village’s identity.

“We don’t want to lose what makes our village different,” said local farmer B. Karthi. “Even a little smoke or noise will hurt the bats.”

Wildlife experts say the villagers’ concerns are well-founded. Sudden loud noises, such as firecracker blasts, can cause severe acoustic trauma in bats, whose sensitive hearing allows them to navigate using echolocation.

High-decibel explosions disorient them, often forcing them to abandon their roosts or fly erratically into trees and buildings. Repeated exposure can also lead to hearing loss, stress-related death, or the abandonment of breeding sites.

“Bats depend on sound to ‘see’ their world,” explains wildlife biologist Dr. M. Krishnan of the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Authority. “The sound waves from crackers overwhelm their sensory range — it’s like being hit with a sonic boom. For fruit bats with pups, it can mean losing their young or even deserting entire colonies.”

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While most of Perambur’s 250 families are committed to silence, not all agree on how to manage the site. A section of villagers wants to promote the banyan grove as an eco-tourism destination, hoping it might create local jobs. Others worry that increased human presence would threaten the delicate balance they have protected for generations.

“I haven’t burst a single firecracker in 25 years,” said Brema Palani (48), who moved to the village from Salem after marriage. “It’s not a restriction — it’s respect. We celebrate by lighting lamps quietly at home.”

The village’s choice of restraint has drawn attention from birdwatchers and naturalists, though the site remains hard to reach. The only access is a narrow, three-foot-wide trail through muddy paddy fields. Villagers say a mud road once linked the grove to Perambur but vanished when farmland expanded.

“We’ve asked officials to restore the road,” said a local farmer. However, Sirkazhi forest range officer B. Ayub Khan said the department is treading carefully. “Laying a road directly to the tree will cause noise pollution,” he said. “A better idea is to stop about 500 metres short and create an observation point for researchers and visitors.” No formal plan has yet been approved.

Across Tamil Nadu, Diwali’s sounds — from Sivakasi’s firecracker factories to Chennai’s skyline — fill the air. But in Perambur, the night remains still, marked only by the flicker of oil lamps.

As other towns light up the sky, Perambur’s century-old promise continues — a celebration not of noise or colour, but of coexistence. Here, silence has its own kind of sound — the rustle of wings beneath an ancient banyan, and the echo of a community that chose reverence over revelry.

With IANS inputs