The Hindu : New Delhi News : A cracking Diwali in store

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 08, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

A cracking Diwali in store

Manisha Jha

A variety of crackers have caught the fancy of Delhiites

Photo: V.V. Krishnan

For the D-Day: Shops decked up with crackers at INA Market in New Delhi on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: With Diwali just a day away, crackers of various varieties are capturing the imagination of Delhiites. Be it shops in the crowded lanes of Sadar Bazar and Chandni Chowk or the outlets at various high-end malls across the city, crackers are in high demand. With prices ranging from as low as Rs. 3 to as high as Rs. 3,000, there is something to suit every pocket.

Though a few fancy crackers are spotted in the market every year, it is the traditional age-old crackers that remain ever popular during the festive season. Aftab Ansari of “Premier Fireworks” at Sadar Bazar said on Wednesday evening: “Though we stock over 200 varieties of crackers in our shop, it is the regular crackers like ‘anar’, ‘chakri’ and ‘phooljhadi’ that are most popular every year.”

According to Mohammad Ibrahim, who has been in the business of selling crackers for nearly 40 years now, new crackers on offer this year include “Gudiya New Crystal Magic” which emanates gold coins look-alikes in blue, yellow and multi-colours. Priced at Rs.240 for four pieces, this unique cracker has been brought to the market in a new look this year.

Said Ibrahim: “This item was in the market last year as well and was known as ‘asharfi cracker’, but this year it has not only been introduced with a new look but also boasts being re-usable as an ash-tray, decorative item or paper weight since it won’t burn out after lighting.”

Another cracker making a comeback this year, according to shopkeeper Sachin Gupta, is the “Tricolour Candle” which burns out like a torch in the Indian tricolour shades.

Other interesting crackers in the market include “Greetings Double Happiness” shots priced at Rs.600 that generate synthetic flowers while burning and “Golden Willow” rocket that braches out in tree formation while burning out. Other special crackers include the high-end rockets titled “Joy 240” and “Enjoy 1000” that burst out 240 and 1,000 times and are priced at Rs. 3,400 and Rs. 5,000 respectively.

Shopkeepers in Sadar Bazar maintain that this year they are stocking only those crackers that fall under the permissible decibel levels stipulated by the Supreme Court. According to them, the inimitable “Hydro Bombs” remain the nosiest cracker and the “phooljhadi” remains the most polluting.

Elaborating on the invasion of imported Chinese crackers in the market, the shopkeepers claim that they got a boost last year owing to the fad factor associated with a foreign brand. However, they have been withdrawn from the market this year by the Government. Said Ibrahim: “People who bought Chinese crackers from us last year have not come back to ask for them again owing to their inferior quality. Moreover, these crackers also pollute more.”

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