This Diwali, there is a silent movement brewing as people are warming up to green firecrackers and homemade ones as opposed to Chinese firecrackers. Even traders, a majority of them are not selling Chinese firecrackers. Kishan Kumar, a trader at Begum Bazaar said, “We received instructions from our association thus we decided not to sell Chinese crackers. It has been a few years now.”

The impact on the environment is adverse as burning of firecrackers, especially the Chinese variety adds to the pollution.  Srinivas, a retired government employee shared, “We exhibit so much pride in being Indian but still use Chinese firecrackers. Is this fair?  Even after India banned them. I believe we should support Indian crackers. It will also help our economy.”

Vishwas, a local vegetable vendor at Jambagh says “My grandchild was injured as he stepped onto a firecracker as it exploded late. I am guessing it was a Chinese one.”

Shravan, 9th  class student in Brilliant Grammar school, said, “I want to celebrate Diwali with Chinese crackers, they have more variety and sparkle. Instead of banning Chinese crackers, I think people should be careful.”

With just a day to go for Diwali, thanks to growing awareness, people are now opting for green crackers which are slightly better than the conventional ones as they cause 30 per cent less harm to the environment.