As Ayodhya gears up for the Ram temple consecration ceremony on January 22, it may well turn out to be a celebration time for followers as well. For believers, it could begin with decorating their homes, adding lighting, and even bursting firecrackers.
In what could be an early assessment of the mega celebrations expected, industry sources in the fireworks sector informed Business Standard that they are witnessing a 20-30 per cent increase in demand from North India alone, compared to last year. However, the recent rains and cyclone in Tamil Nadu may play a bit of a spoilsport in celebrations. The state’s Sivakasi produces over 90 per cent of India’s fireworks.
“We are seeing huge demand from North India. However, it is not translating into sales, due to the recent rains. We are unable to produce such a large quantity because of that,” said T Kannan, general secretary of The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers Association (TIFMA). Almost every household in Sivakasi contributes to India’s festival season, giving jobs to around 300,000 people directly and another 500,000 indirectly. There are around 1,175 firecracker manufacturers in the Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, which includes Sivakasi.
“So many parties are asking, in fact hundreds of customers. Only yesterday, we saw the sunlight. One party, who got two loads last year, is asking for many loads,” Kannan added. In cities like Delhi, with the ban on firecrackers lifted by January 1, more such celebrations are expected. This ban included the manufacturing, storage, lighting, and sale of all types of firecrackers, including green firecrackers.
“Generally, we start production around 10-15 days after Deepavali. This time, till last week the rain has continued in Tamil Nadu. There was no production at all, after Diwali till Pongal, which was a very rare scenario,” said Murali Asaithambi of Sivakasi Fireworks Manufacturer Association. The size of the industry in Sivakasi came down from around Rs 3,000 crore during pre-Covid to close to Rs 2,000 crore now, based on industry estimates.
“People have purchased goods, anticipating the demand due to the Temple inauguration. To what extent people will be able to use it needs to be seen. This is a one-time scenario. For almost 40 days, there was no production,” Asaithambi added. The units that are open now are working at 40 per cent capacity utilisation.
Interestingly, several states like Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh have even declared the inauguration day a holiday. The Central Government also announced a half-day closing till 2:30 pm on January 22, 2024, at all its offices, institutions, and industrial establishments. Globally, the Mauritian government has reportedly declared a two-hour break for Hindu public office workers, while the Indian community is expected to organise celebrations in various developed countries.
First Published: Jan 18 2024 | 6:32 PM IST