AGRA: PM's calls for maximum utilization of LED bulbs to replace fluorescent tubes , halogen and incandescent bulbs has proved to be a blessing in disguise for 12-year-old Saif Ali Khan and his bunch of friends, who collected more than hundred tube lights from neighbours for self-flagellation to exhibit grief and devotion on the occasion of Muharram.

Hailing out slogans ‘yah Husain hum nah theey’ to mourn the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Husain Ibn Ali, hundreds of Muslim youths in several groups carried Tazia procession in the city and left behind tonnes of white glass pieces on road after smashing tube lights on their body parts.

These tube lights were mostly collected from all those people who switched to LED lights and gave up fluorescent tubes.

Resident of Pachkuiya area in Agra, Safi Ali Khan said, "We have been visiting each and every house in our neighborhood to collect tube lights so as to smash them on our foreheads to express our grief and devotion towards Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Husain." "Though we want to use sharp edged metal for self-flagellation, but we were restricted to use only non-deadly glass," he added.

Showing carton full of fluorescent tube lights and halogen bulbs, 16-year-old Imran said, "Unlike last year, where we had to search nook and corners of streets to collect tube lights, this year we easily managed to get more than 80 tube lights, as people were surprisingly happy to hand them over." He claims, "This might be because of government’s call for using LED bulbs which are more energy efficient than tube lights."

However, the group of teenage boys are worried about the availability of fluorescent tubes next year. Junaid Mohd who smashed a dozen tubes on their head in the Tazia procession said, "If everybody is going to use LED bulbs in the future, then how we will get defunct tube lights next year."

According to Bharat Bhushan, project officer of Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency, "Government has been distributing LED bulbs at subsidized rate under Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme. Till now in UP, government has sold up to 32.9 lakh LED bulbs."