For Quick Alerts
Subscribe Now  
For Quick Alerts
ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS  
For Daily Alerts

Fire Crackers We'll Miss This Diwali

The government comes up with new restrictions on fire crackers every year. Some of the other poor fireworks comes under the 'banned' list every year. It is clear that the tradition of bursting crackers on Diwali is on the down-slide. Through a careful combination of coercion and request, the government and authorities are working on making Diwali celebrations a little more eco-friendly.

While we totally agree with the need to reduce pollution during Diwali, there are a bunch of fire crackers from the past that we miss terribly. Here are some banned fire crackers that will make you nostalgic this Diwali.

Fire Crackers

The Flying Flower Pot: The grounded version of this Diwali cracker is still very popular. Most of the kids these days do not remember that there used to be smaller and more vibrant types of flower pots that flew!

The Snake Cracker: This was quite an unimpressive cracker. You cannot even call it a fire cracker. It came as a tablet that had to be lit up; then a long snake came snaking out of it with lots of smoke. I guess the authorities decided that it was not so much fun but lots of pollution.

Atom Bombs: We do not mean the atom bomb that was dropped on Japan. This atom bomb is a type of cracker bomb that used to be very popular a decade ago. It did not cause much destruction, but the noise pollution it caused was immense. All fireworks that go beyond a certain decibel level have been banned a couple of years.

Siren: This is another popular Diwali cracker that had to be hacked down because of its high decibel levels. This too was like a small flower pot that rose to the skies with a shrill siren. The siren resembled the annoying siren of a police van. The siren was giving too many people heart attacks while others recklessly celebrated Diwali. It was rightfully banned.

The Beetle Leaf Cracker: This cracker literally looked like a rolled up 'beedi' (handmade Indian cigarette). The problem with this fire cracker was that it was very difficult to control. Once you lit it, there was no particular direction it would take. Sometimes it would turn on the person who lit it too. It was responsible for too many accidents during Diwali and was thus restricted.

Flying Lanterns: Once upon a time flying lanterns was an art. But with the growing population and a number of amateur lantern makers taking precedence, it had to be banned. These lanterns are extremely dangerous because they are alight. They can land on people's head or burn down a house very easily.

These are some of the interesting fire crackers from the past that are deeply missed now. Which is your favourite banned cracker?

Story first published: Thursday, November 8, 2012, 11:27 [IST]
Read more about: diwali festivals