Has a self-imposed ban come in the way of a cracker of a Diwali?

Bursting of crackers is a Diwali tradition. However, more people might now be consciously choosing to avoid fireworks. Multiple factors could be behind this change of attitude to a tradition that has been an integral part of Diwali celebrations for generations.

"Should I burst crackers on Diwali or should I not." The doubt first cropped up in Nitin's mind a decade ago. The engineering student from Varanasi was then in the ninth standard and a sentence in his social science text book -- 'Don't burst crackers and help mother earth' -- is what got him thinking. Like most teenagers, Nitin loved bursting crackers, but his school plays, the television debates that his parents listened to, and his school textbooks were telling him not to burst crackers on Diwali. He did burst crackers that Diwali and the ones that followed, but a change was taking place too.

The amount of crackers that Nitin was bursting on Diwali kept dipping each year. From rockets to sutli bombs, Nitin finally started bursting only sparklers or phuljhadis. What was Nitin's favourite part of Diwali has now been reduced to continuing a ritual.

Blame it on his growing up or the bombardment of anti-cracker messages, Nitin's attraction towards fireworks and crackers decreased.

"For me as a kid, Diwali meant crackers. I used to sit with my parents for a Laxmi Puja each year. But the sound of crackers is what really excited me. I could barely wait to rush out and burst crackers with my elder brother and friends," Nitin, 23, who is now studying engineering in Delhi, told India Today Digital.

Crackers were an intrinsic part of Diwali celebrations not just for Nitin, but his father, Ashok, too. For Ashok, an engineer in his 50s, it started when he went to college.

"All the boys in the hostel used to gather to burst crackers before leaving for home on Diwali. Fireworks were part of the amazing college memories we made," said Ashok, who went to college in Jaipur.

This is the story of two generations of firecracker bursters. The generation before Ashok hadn't seen a firecracker.

Ashok's parents used to stay in a village near Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh, and they celebrated Diwali without crackers.

"We used to do daridra bhagao puja, which was to remove poverty from the family. The next day, on Diwali, we usually ate puri and sabzi and did some puja. Diwali was very different back then," said Ashok, reminiscing about how his parents celebrated Diwali.

This is the story of three generations celebrating Diwali near Varanasi for some five decades.

Fireworks have been associated with Diwali at least since the 16th century. However, it was the factory set up by the Nadar brothers in Sivakasi that sparked the crackers industry after India's Independence, and made fireworks available to people. The increase in the purchasing power of Indians in the last few decades made the night sky on Diwali sparkle. Firecracker retailers from across India tell India Today Digital that sales are high, but equally true is that, for the first time, there's a generation that is staying away from crackers after a sustained anti-cracker campaign.

HOW FIRECRACKERS BECAME INTRINSIC PART OF DIWALI

Fireworks were an important part of mediaeval courts in India. From the Vijaynagara Empire to the Mughals, several emperors and members of the court enjoyed watching fireworks. But fireworks were part of royal celebrations and not accessible to common people in mediaeval India.

Eminent historian P K Gode wrote that the use of fireworks on Diwali "must have come into existence after about 1400 AD, when gunpowder came to be used in Indian warfare". Paintings dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries suggest fireworks being part of Diwali celebrations.

It was, however, in the 19th century that the first fireworks factory was opened in India.

In 1923, two brothers, Shanmuga and Ayya Nadar, went to Kolkata to learn how to manufacture safety matches. Almost a year later, they opened a match factory in Sivakasi.

Later, the Nadar brothers learnt to make fireworks.

Finally, in 1940, Indian Explosives Rules were introduced for manufacturing, possessing and selling fireworks.

Then, came the first organised fireworks' factory in India.

But it was only after Independence that the restrictions on imports of firecrackers were removed.

Sivakasi then emerged as India's firecracker centre.

The tiny industry grew manifold by the 1980s. And by the 2000s, 450 firecracker factories had opened in Sivakasi alone.

The booming industry was a result of India opening up its economy and newfound affluence. It was also because of a growing Indian middle class.

Though fireworks have been associated with Diwali for centuries, they have become an intrinsic part of Diwali rituals for the last 40 years.

But with an increasing sale of firecrackers, there have been discussions and debates around air and noise pollution. Those against fireworks argue how crackers trouble the elderly, the sick and animals, especially dogs. Those favouring crackers say a day of bursting crackers, an essential part of Diwali, doesn't do any major damage.

IS THERE A CRACKERS AND POLLUTION CORRELATION?

Delhi, which suffers perennial bad air days and seasonal smog, became the centre of the crackers debate.

Then, came the Supreme Court ruling in 2016, which banned fireworks in Delhi and the National Capital Region. The prohibition has been in place since 2017 and only eco-friendly, green crackers are allowed.

However, since the ban was imposed, the national capital has witnessed the revenge-bursting of firecrackers.

Delhi's winter smog is because of a strange coming together of factors and a coincidence. Vehicular emissions and stubble burning are two of the reasons that make Delhi a gas chamber, especially around November.

This is the same time as the festival of Diwali.

A section of people have long-argued that fireworks add to the already bad air quality.

The impact of Diwali on air pollution has also been studied in India. But research on 'Estimates of air pollution in Delhi from the burning of firecrackers during the festival of Diwali' by Dhananjay Ghei and Renuka Sane didn't find conclusive evidence on the impact of Diwali fireworks on air quality.

The researchers used hourly data on PM 2.5 particulate concentration from 2013 to 2017 to estimate the Diwali effect on air quality in Delhi.

The researchers concluded that though a small, but substantial impact of Diwali could be seen, the direct impact of crackers was difficult to extract.

However, the ban on crackers is now spreading. This year, even the Bihar government banned crackers in Patna to avoid pollution.

On October 26, Karnataka restricted the bursting of firecrackers to a two-hour period between 8 pm and 10 pm. Only green crackers below 125 decibels are permitted.

Sales data and fire cracker retailers in India tell India Today Digital that crackers are still being purchased in a big way in India.

HAVE PEOPLE REALLY STOPPED BURSTING CRACKERS?

This ban on firecrackers has not stopped everyone from bursting crackers.

In 2022, the retail cracker sales across India, except Delhi, were approximately Rs 6,000 crore. In the state of Uttar Pradesh, wholesalers stated Rs 190-250 crore sales, according to a Hindustan Times report.

In 2023, a 10% increase was seen from the previous year's sales, according to a report by The Times of India.

FIRECRACKER RETAILERS ACROSS INDIA SAY SALES HIGH AS USUAL

India Today Digital spoke to firecracker retailers in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Saharanpur to understand how the fireworks business was doing in India.

"People come to buy firecrackers from us in bulk. Children, especially those who are bursting crackers for the first or second time, are those who are the most excited. Their parents too want to give them the Diwali experience that they had as kids," said Hitesh, a firecracker retailer from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He has been in this business for over a decade now.

Bhanush of Padmini Fireworks in Kurla, Mumbai, connected firecrackers to nostalgia.

"People of all ages and genders come to buy firecrackers. While many young kids come to buy crackers filled with excitement. Old uncles and middle-aged people come too. They buy firecrackers to relive their childhood memories," said Bhanush.

Have firecracker sales dropped in recent years?

"Sales haven't dropped. Our sales are as good as ever. Even people from Delhi come to buy firecrackers from us," said Hitesh of Saharanpur, which is around 200 km from Delhi.

Even a retailer from Chennai said the demand for firecrackers was intact.

"Overall production might have decreased, but this has then pushed up the demand for crackers," said Anirudh, from Selvara Crackers shop in the Triplicane area of Chennai.

What has changed with the debate on pollution is the kind of crackers that are being sold and preferred.

"Now, we sell green crackers in Mumbai. These are better-quality crackers. People don't need to say no to firecrackers. Most crackers are green crackers now," said Bhanush.

What crackers do people like?

"Some people love loud crackers. The sutli bombs and the rockets are really liked by young boys. But everyone likes ground spinners, pencil crackers and garlands," said Hitesh of Saharanpur.

HOW CRACKER-BURSTING CHANGED OVER GENERATIONS

India Today Digital spoke to people who burst crackers across India and asked them the role firecrackers have played in their Diwali celebrations.

"We used to start with Diwali shopping and buy flowers and lights and clothes. But one thing we made sure to do was an oil bath first thing in the morning. Then we used to do puja in a nearby temple in the evening and burst crackers," said Ayushi, 28, a Chennai-based fitness trainer.

"We don't burst crackers any more. I used to as a kid. And I used to find it fascinating. As a kid, you find light shows, fireworks and all this really fascinating, but when I started reading about them, I realised I had to stop."

"I still burst one or two phuljhadis as a ritual, but nothing more than that. My friends say I shouldn't even do that," she revealed.

But all three generations of her family have burst crackers. Her mother Ritu told India Today Digital.

"I used to burst light crackers like phulhadis and anaars and chakris with my parents. We did it in moderation but it brought our entire joint family together," said Ayushi's mother, Ritu.

While Ritu's mother's family was not too big on crackers, her father's family enjoyed bursting crackers each year. The only problem was that they did not have enough resources to burst many crackers.

They used to buy what they could.

Though there were people in every generation who stayed away from crackers, this seems to be the first that is consciously doing so after anti-cracker messages. School textbooks, too, have played a big role in spreading that message.

For Simran's family, who moved from Amritsar to Delhi, Diwali was always a spectacular event.

"Now, I don't burst any crackers. I feel it is not good for the environment. But while growing up, I always used to be a part of the fireworks which my extended family used to invite us to. It had all the crackers you could imagine. We kids, we used to wait for Diwali eagerly."

Simran said how she used to share cracker-bursting stories in school. But it was later due to the "awareness about crackers" that kept her away from fireworks.

A survey conducted in 2013 by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) during the Diwali season revealed the role the anti-cracker campaign has played.

Over a thousand children, who were interviewed in around 150 schools in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad and Kolkata, said they decided to stay away from crackers after anti-cracker campaigns were launched in their schools.

WHY DO WE HEAR MORE CRACKERS NOW IF PEOPLE ARE SHUNNING FIREWORKS?

Behaviour around the bursting of crackers has changed even in non-metro cities like Pune.

Siddharth Laxmeshwar from Pune exemplifies how people have scaled down the bursting of fireworks even in cities where there is no ban on crackers. The 42-year-old business development executive also explains why we get to hear more crackers if more and more people are staying away from bursting them.

"Firecrackers have been a part of our family's Diwali ritual when I grew up in Ahmednagar," says Laxmeshwar, who shifted to Pune in 2000. "We had designated time for crackers, and the display of fireworks used to be like a community affair."

"In Pune, we cut down on crackers, only using some fuljharis to continue with the ritual. Concern over noise pollution and wastage of money were among the factors," says Laxmeshwar.

He says he saw Pune expand and get denser in the last two decades. "You will hear a lot of crackers and fireworks, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the ratio of people bursting crackers has gone up," says Laxmeshwar, adding, "The proportion of those not bursting crackers might have actually gone up in Pune."

Sidharth Laxmeshwar considers crackers to be ritually associated with Diwali and isn't in favour of an outright ban, but of controlled use.

"I believe that fireworks should be used as a community event at a designated place for a specified time with everyone participating," suggests Laxmeshwar. This, the dog-lover believes, will help people continue with the tradition without disturbing the sick, the elderly or pets sensitive to loud noise.

What is interesting to note is that India, for the first time, has a generation that has taken the anti-cracker messages seriously and is staying away from using fireworks. As Diwali sparks the crackers debate, there are two sides to the crackers debate, and both are equally valid. Moderation, both in the case of Diwali mithai (sweets) and fireworks, is a healthier way out.