Revellers throng Champahati cracker market as West Bengal decks for Diwali, Kali Puja

By Ujjwal Roy
South 24 Parganas (West Bengal) [India], November 10 : A day before the state lights up for Kali Puja and Diwali, revellers thronged Chanpahati, which is home to the state's largest firecracker market in the South 24 Parganas district, to bring home crackers for the festivities.
Champahati, where the production of firecrackers has been a cottage industry for a number of years now, has the look and feel of a bustling commercial centre around the Festival of Lights.

The sale of firecrackers enables scores of households to light their kitchen fires at Champahati. It is, in essence, the economic backbone of the area, the lifeblood for locals.
Cracker manufacturing is an age-old skill that families rely on for a living.
However, following the new guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court, the shoppers here are only selling green crackers this Diwali. The green crackers are said to emit less light and are also low on decibels and harmful chemicals.

Speaking to ANI, Samir Ranjan Biswas, a local firecracker seller, said, "The order (to deal only in green crackers) was issued by the Supreme Court. As per the directive, which is based on a study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), only smokeless and soundless crackers are to be sold and purchased this year. We have only been receiving orders for green crackers. Therefore, only sound and smoke-free crackers are being sold across the Champahati cracker market this Diwali."
"There are some old customers, who come asking for the old crackers that emit more sound and light. We tell them that those crackers aren't made anymore. They take home green crackers instead. These crackers are selling at the same prices as before," he added.
Sankar Mondal, the spokesperson for the Trader and Organiser Of Champahati Fireworks Union, said, "About 1.5 lakh people are associated with the fireworks business in the Champahati area. Our business was down and in dire straits at the time of the Covid pandemic. We could not procure raw materials (for making crackers) for 3 years. However, the business has started looking up this year as the dealers are posting good sales."
He added that there are about 700 to 800 shops in the Champahati cracker market that sell firecrackers throughout the year.
"I believe a green cracker manufacturing unit here will boost our sales and business even further. Many here are associated with the fireworks industry and some are very poor. Firecrackers should only be sold under the guidelines laid down by NEERI," he said.
The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) defines green crackers as those that are made with a reduced shell size, without use of the use of raw materials, with additives such as dust suppressants to reduce emissions and with reduced amounts of chemicals, barium nitrate.
CSIR-NEERI has developed new formulations for reduced emission of light and sound-emitting crackers (SWAS, SAFAL, STAR).
Champahati is one of the two major hubs of fireworks in West Bengal, alongside Nungi. Thousands of people are involved in making fireworks in these two hubs.
From aerial fireworks to sparklers and fountains, the cracker dealers in Champahati cater to all preferences.