Dry Deepavali marked by blazing fireworks

Chennai: If you were in the southern parts of the city around Mylapore, RA Puram, Adyar, Triplicane and Nungambakkam, you would not believe that the state of the economy, the rising prices of firecrackers and fireworks and the campaigns run by schools and colleges about keeping the festival of lights eco-friendly have had any effect. Not even a call by AIADMK cadres not to celebrate the festival in the wake of the Chief Minister’s hospitalisation, could keep enthusiasm at bay.

Contrary to all the forecasts of weather pundits, the Deepavali of the Tamil calendar remained completely dry allowing those celebrating the festival full freedom to light up the ground and sky. While playgrounds in south Chennai were particularly busy with those celebrating the festival, the paper waste of firecrackers on the streets was also witness to the bursting of a huge quantity of crackers, with quite a few strings of the 5,000 and 10,000 wallahs rocking decibel levels in many areas of the city.

Saturday may have dawned without too much of the sound of crackers. The competition to see who gets ready first to burst in the early hours of the festival seems to have run out of steam. But Saturday evening made up for any lack of sound and fury earlier in the day as fireworks seemed to compete in racing into the sky  with outs and fancy products lighting up the sky in showing their tricks.

The early revellers of the Diwali, celebrated by North Indians on the New Moon day oN Sunday (Amavasai), joined their Tamil brethren in lighting up Saturday evening with spots around George Town, particularly Mint Street, particularly brilliant in their display of firecracker power.  

The TNPCB advisory on pollution, including noise levels, seemed to have been ignored with those in the mood to celebrate allowed themselves free rein to the display of sparkling fireworks.

Sunday morning was necessarily duller thanks to the overnight rain and Diwali took off late on Sunday evening, which also remained dry as if to facilitate those wishing to celebrate the spirit of Deepavali or Diwali in traditional style with fireworks. A few fancy crackers with Chinese subtitles printed on the packaging made a strange counterpoint to the usual Tamil Nadu and Sivakasi gripe of business being lost to Chinese imports.

With awareness being greater this year on avoiding Chinese goods thanks to geopolitics,  Indian manufacturers from Sivakasi had a field year dominating the shelves with their products, many of them with unique names and characteristics.