Who makes India's Diwali crackers?

Who makes India's Diwali crackers?

Diwali is next week.

You'll burst crackers. Your neighbour will too. So will half the colony.

Now here's something most of us never think about.

Almost all of those crackers came from one small town.

Sivakasi, in Tamil Nadu.

Business Standard reports it makes around 90% of India's crackers. Another of its reports puts it at about 85% of the organised trade.

One town. Most of the country's Diwali.

So why there?

It started with matches, not crackers.

In 1922, two cousins from Sivakasi, Ayya Nadar and Shanmuga Nadar, went to Calcutta and spent about eight months learning how matchsticks are made.

They came back and started a match factory at home.

Matches and fireworks use similar chemistry. So over time, the town moved into crackers too. The dry, hot weather helped things dry fast.

Jawaharlal Nehru is said to have called it "Kutty Japan" Kutty Japan = "Little Japan", a nickname for how much the town manufactured.

Today, the numbers are big.

About ₹7,000 crore in yearly turnover. Around 1,070 licensed units, Business Standard reports.

And here's the part that surprised me.

Nearly 80% of the town's sales come from Diwali alone, reports say.

That's a seasonal business Seasonal business = a business that earns most of its money in a short part of the year.

A whole town works for months, for a few weeks of selling.

Ek aur baat.

This Diwali, your cracker box will likely cost more. Industry sources told Business Standard prices may rise 30% to 50%.

The reasons: costlier chemicals because of global tensions, shipping delays, and supply not keeping up with demand.

And the work itself is risky. Over the years, accidents at fireworks units around Sivakasi have cost workers their lives, reports show.

But there's a new door opening.

Buyers from Europe and the US have started asking Sivakasi for orders. Some of them used to buy from China.

The Brutal Reality:

Your Diwali lasts a few nights.

For Sivakasi, those few nights are most of the year's income.

Next time you light a phuljhadi, remember where it came from.

✍🏻 Mantra Joshi

Spotted a wrong number or something out of date? Tell me and I'll fix it.