Diwali is known as the Festival of Lights. But since when has bursting firecrackers become an integral part of the celebration?
Diwali is here, and so are all those debates regarding firecrackers. Some argue that bursting firecrackers is an inseparable part of the celebration, without which the festival wouldn't be the same. According to them, it's unfair to single this out for air pollution when industrial and vehicle emissions every day are far greater evil. However, beyond the excitement and all, their harmful effects on air quality and subsequently on public health can certainly not be overruled. A recent study found that the pollution from one single firecracker itself exceeds the safety limits prescribed by the World Health Organization (now imagine the impact on a broader scenario). It's highly linked with asthma, lung failures, and in some cases, heart attacks.
In recent times, several Indian states have banned the use of crackers during Diwali. And obviously, not everyone (especially the kids) is happy with this, with many believing there shouldn't be any restriction on such an 'ancient tradition'. But hold on, while firecrackers have been associated with Diwali celebrations for as long as we can remember, can we really call it an ancient tradition? Let's find it out.
Well, the idea of Diwali is to commemorate the return of Lord Rama (along with his wife Sita and brother Laxman) to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile and defeating Ravana. According to the epic, Ramayana, the citizens of Ayodhya decorated the city with lit earthen lamps on that day to mark the victory of light over darkness. And that's how the practice of Diwali began.
What's worth noting is that there's not a single mention of firecrackers in the whole thing. Not just Ramayana, you won't find the practice of bursting firecrackers in any Hindu scripture. And hence, Diwali is essentially a "festival of lights" and not crackers.
As far as gunpowder is concerned, yes, there was its use in ancient India. According to several ancient Sanskrit texts, saltpeter (‘agnichurna’ in Sanskrit) was used between 300 BCE – 300 CE. Atharvanarahasya mentions the use of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter to create gunpowder.
It's believed that gunpowder was invented in China. However, some Chinese scriptures suggest that it was actually brought from India to China by a Buddhist monk. And then the Chinese improvised it and spread it to other parts of the world. Some historical records suggest that the Arabs popularized the use of gunpowder in India.
Primarily, the use of gunpowder was limited to military purposes. With time, it also started to be used for light shows as well, which is now known as a fireworks display. Based on some records, the first evidence of fireworks displays dates back to the Tang dynasty in China during 700 CE. In India, one of the early references goes back to the 15th century in the Vijayanagar kingdom. During the 16th and 17th century, it was used in royal weddings across India. For instance, late historian Satish Chandra wrote that Rs 80,000 was spent on fireworks in 1609 CE by the Sultan of Bijapur, Ibrahim Adil Shah. Also, the Mughal and Maratha rulers enjoyed watching fireworks displays, especially after their victory over other kingdoms. Later, the practice was popular during British rule in India as well.
However, there's no reference or evidence that it was a part of the Diwali celebrations in ancient India. Even if there was any after 1400 CE, when gunpowder came to be used in India, it was only limited to the Royal families and never became a phenomenon among the masses.
So, clearly, we CANNOT call it an ancient Diwali practice.
Thanks to the rising demand for fireworks (not specifically for Diwali), several factories were set up in India during the 19th century. The first was established in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata), which was later moved to Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu.
After India gained its independence from British rule, restrictions on imports of firecrackers were removed. And that helped Sivakasi emerge as India's firecracker hub. From being a small industry, it grew enormously with time and spread to other parts of India as well by the end of the 20th century. And thanks to those companies' marketing strategies, bursting firecrackers gradually became a part of Diwali in India - much like how chocolates became a staple of Valentine's Day celebrations across the globe.
Capitalism won here, yet again! However, it's not really about tradition or culture… you know. Even if we consider firecrackers as an ancient practice (just for the sake of argument), we must understand that people in the past weren't aware of its harmful effects. Now that we know about all the risks it poses to the entire environment, does it make any sense to continue the practice? I will leave that up to you.
