New age sparks

It is that time of the year again when firecracker sellers across the city try to entice customers with attractive varieties of crackers and firebombs.

A variety of eco-friendly and NCEL certified crackers flood market this time promising a healthy and peaceful Diwali

It is that time of the year again when firecracker sellers across the city try to entice customers with attractive varieties of crackers and firebombs. Be it eco-friendly crackers that help to mitigate the impact of pollution or musical ones,which are specially created for the young tots,there is no limit to the innovative types of new crackers on sale in stores for the festive season this month.

“We have something for everyone. People preffering fancy and ecofriendly crackers will find something satisfying in my shop. We also have the traditional atom bombs designed for children”,says Rajesh Gade,owner of Prasad Cracker stall at Golibar Maidan. He elaborates on the different types,”There are innumerous varieties like the unique eye wheel which is a modified version of the butterfly. In the rocket section,we have a brand new arrival called Gigma 2000,which after being lit not only goes up to a certain height but also flies down back towards the earth”. Bipin Pardeshi of Pardeshi Pataka Mart says,”We have the latest avatars of the standard crackers,which are different in terms of their colour and the sparks they emit. You will also find imported crackers,which have come all the way from China. They are available for very affordable rates”.

A certain range is unique and special in itself as it boasts of no child labour. Pardeshi elaborates,”We have a special range of NCLE (No Children Labourer Employed) crackers as well as a couple of eco-friendly items “.

Different age ranges prefer different kinds of firecrackers and the retailers have taken note of it. Yograj Pardeshi of Balaji Phataka Mart says,”At times youth come in requesting for noisy crackers while small children desire noiseless and tinier fireworks. Also,we have updated the old favourites with no price rise”.

But even though the shopkeepers claim to have many ranges available,some young consumers still aren’t satisfied. Prasad Sheetla and Vibhuti Tiwari,students,speak of the problem they face while buying fireworks of their choice,”We naturally prefer eco-friendly crackers but most of the owners do not have it so we have to settle for the regular ones”. So even though the shop-owners promise to have everything in their stores,it doesnt seem enough to meet the ever-increasing demand of fire-blaster enthusiasts.

Hot shots & hot prices

Eco-friendly,less noisy
Children-oriented with up to 100 different varieties of music
NCLE (No Children Labourer Employed) certified crackers
Chinese imports at cheap rates
Gigma 2000 rockets Rs 250 to 550
Bombs Rs 100
Eyewheel (10 in a box) Rs 70
Musical crackers Rs 150 to 400

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