In This Tamil Nadu Village, Bats Come Before Firecrackers Every Diwali

Aswin, a school student in Ballena Halli village in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri district, has grown up with a rather unusual Diwali tradition. While children elsewhere look forward to bursting firecrackers, he and his friends know that fireworks have no place in their village. The reason? Their neighbours are nearly 2,000 bats that hang from the treetops, largely around the local temple.

For generations, the villagers have chosen to keep the celebrations quiet, ensuring that the bats are not frightened away by loud noises and fireworks. It is a tradition that has been passed down over four generations, making this small farming and horticulture community an unusual example of people adapting their celebrations to protect wildlife.

"Even during festivals, we don't burst crackers here, though we feast and pray. Earlier, the bats were on just one tree, but now they are on more than ten trees. For generations, there has been no bursting of crackers here because we worship the bats just as we worship our deity Muniyappa," Aswin told NDTV.

The bats, meanwhile, seem remarkably at ease in their surroundings. Usually shy and sensitive to human disturbance, these flying mammals appear surprisingly comfortable here. They hang upside down from branches, their eyes visible as they look around, occasionally fluttering their wings and offering visitors a rare glimpse into their lives. Their presence has also turned the village into a point of interest for animal lovers and curious visitors.

The villagers have even worked out a way to accommodate children who may still want their share of Diwali fireworks. They can burst crackers, but only beyond the village fields, around two kilometres away, keeping the noise and disturbance away from the bats.

"Children too don't burst crackers. If they want to, they have to go beyond the fields, two kilometres away, and not do it here. Ever since I can remember, nobody has burst crackers here, even for occasions such as deaths or festivals," says Raja, another resident.

But there is also a local story that helps explain how this unusual bond began.

According to villagers, a few generations ago, a disturbance drove the bats away from the village. The family believed to have been responsible for this subsequently faced a series of hardships. The bats, villagers say, returned only after the family arranged a free meal for others and performed a ritual to welcome the creatures back.

Whether legend or local belief, the story has become part of the village's collective memory. The bats returned, and the residents say they have been careful not to repeat the mistakes of the past. The tradition has endured through generations, with villagers treating the bats as an integral part of their community rather than simply as wildlife occupying their trees.

"We have been protecting them generation after generation. Nobody disturbs them. Outsiders too come here only to see them and enjoy. Many come in the evening to watch them fly," says Perumal, another villager.

For visitors, the sight of thousands of bats occupying the treetops is a fascinating spectacle. But for Ballena Halli's residents, their presence is something much more personal.

In a season when fireworks light up the skies and the sound of crackers fills neighbourhoods, this village has made a different choice. Here, Diwali is celebrated with prayers and feasts, while the bats are allowed to sleep undisturbed. In Ballena Halli, the true festival tradition is not about lighting up the night sky but about making room for another species to call the village home.

(With inputs from G Sathishkumar)