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Photo:M. MOORTHY

Sparkling In myriad colours

Piercing decibels, hazardous sparks and mounds of waste may be the side effects. But nothing can displace or replace crackers during Deepavali.

Sparklers, flowerpots, fire crackers, rockets…with each passing year crackers are coming in an increasing variety of shapes, size, colour and resonance. No wonder, crackers end up adding that extra spice to the Festival of Lights.

This year a host of new varieties have been introudced, inform cracker distributors. ‘Multi-colour candles’ that smoulder in myriad colours, ‘Golden Drops’ that let out a soundless blast and descend with golden-hued blobs, ’Meteors’ that resemble the astronomical ones when lit, to name a few.

“Fancy crackers are much loved by kids. These are also safe as most fancy crackers explode in low decibels, ideal for kids,” says P. Ravichandran, a distributor.

Kids’ favourites remain to be ’seven shots,’ a cracker that burst with seven different decibels. “This has been around for quite a while and the sales continue to be high too,” Mr. Ravichandran says. The names are alluring enough for anyone to try out. Wackier the name, higher is its attraction. Comets, those that burst noiselessly and let down sparkling colours, come under a host of names. “Varieties like ‘4 Bangs,’ ‘Night Parachutes’ and ‘Colour Burst’ do a brisk business,” he says.

For girls, sparklers are the best companion. There are over 30 varieties including those that let out sparklers, multi-hued and tri-colour ones. Flowerpots and ‘chakars’ stand next in list. “Deepavali is so much fun, it symbolises light and sparklers are good fun,” says Anandhi Rajkumar, a class XII student.

Since exchanging gift-wrapped ‘mithais’ has become a customary practice during Deepavali, crackers manufacturers also cash in by introducing gift boxes. The sheer number of varieties in encased in gift boxes can send you off for a spin. From ‘China gift’ to ‘Dazzle box,’ the categories of gift boxes have been customised to suit varied interests and age groups.

Environmental concerns haunt a few. “My son was crazy about bursting crackers. But I had been asking him to stay away from crackers. Deepavali is a day for fun, no doubt. But look at the streets the day after Deepavali. They are inundated with paper bits. Now, my son has been drumming up support for ’green Deepavali’ among his friends,” says Padma Natarajan, a homemaker. Pet-owners too have restrained their urge to celebrate Deepavali with bang. “Dogs are scared of noises. It is pathetic to see them cower under beds when we have a blast with crackers,” says Vidyashree, who owns a German shepherd and a Labrador. Bursting crackers are no more the mode of celebrations for many college-goers. “Crackers are passé. We have planned a no-noise Deepavali this time in our apartment. It would be so much fun to light ‘diyas’ on the walls. The spirit of Deepavali is in enjoying the day without annoying others,” says Rashmima Ghosh, a computer science engineering student.

But the long queues in cracker shops portray a different story. Good or bad, crackers still rule the Deepavali celebrations.

S. AISHWARYA

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