Decoding the fireworks that caused the Kerala temple fire tragedy

Fireworks display by unorganized industry is the key feature at Kerala Temple festivals. A look at how these fireworks are manufactured and the men behind it

While it could be new to many in the country, the Vedikettu or Kambam (Firework display), which has caused deaths of 110 people and left hundreds injured in the 100-year-old Puttingal temple in Paravoor, Kollam, Kerala, the firework display is part and passion of many in the state.

These fire crackers, which can give sound and light at a much higher intensity than the ordinary crackers you burst during Diwali, is an inevitable part of majority of the temple rituals and several churches as well in Kerala. The fireworks display, conducted during night in open spaces near the temples marks the end of the festival at these religious places. 

The sample vedikettu and the actual vedikettu in the festival of festivals of Kerala, Thrissur Pooram, are the major firework displays in the State. There are other famous vedikettus that are conducted related to the festivals including Uthralikkavu Pooram, Nenmara Vela, Parakkottukav festival and others.

There are several types of crackers used in these displays, including Amittu (a ball shaped cracker which goes up in the sky and bursts to show colourful sparks ending with a sound), Kathina (a pipe shaped cracker, which is for sound), and Garland Gundu (a garland of high-decibel crackers). The rockets are the favourites of many, since the colours and designs vary. They could go up step by step creating a tree of several umbrellas of colourful sparks, one above the other. The manufacturers in Kerala have their unique products, in which the first umbrella shaped spark will be of red, while the next would be green and again, the next a red. A manufacturer said that they have also used rockets, which could fire 24 such steps. 

There are several unique features worth noting about these fireworks. One, it is manufactured locally using the raw materials purchased from Sivakasi. Unlike Sivakasi firecracker industry, these crackers are not manufactured throughout  the year. These are manufactured by experts who have been involved in the manufacturing of these crackers for generations. The main character in this process is called Asan (master) and the fireworks are set up by humans, while in many other places, the large fireworks are managed using an electric button or a computer from a distant place.

The Asans, who are very few in number and attracts lot of fan following for their particular style, also indulge in experimentation on the colour of lights, shapes of lights when the cracker goes up in the sky. Mayannur Krishnan Chettyar, Kundannur Sundarakshan, Kundannur Ananthan, Cheerani Muhammed, Vennoor Krishnan are some of these Asans mentioned on social media for their specialities and overall performance of their fireworks.
 

While the Amittu (large firecracker in a ball shape which gives more sound than the ordinary ones), available in Sivakasi has been to the size of 3-3.5 inch and lately at someplaces grown up to 4 inch, the size of this firecracker used in the display could go up to the size of 12 inch, depending upon the demand.
 

There are around 50-56 such firecracker manufacturers in the State, of which at least 18 are in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, said Jinju SS, owner of Devi Fireworks, Thiruvananthapuram, whose father G Sasi was a famous Asan. Many of them are traditionally manufacturing firecrackers for Vedikkettu. The manufacturing work starts once the trust or the organising committee of the temple or church approach them for a display. The date and time will be fixed and a list will be prepared based on the demand of the committee and the fans of such display in the area.

The Asan, along with the workers (in the recent years, many of them are people who have been working in Sivakasi firecracker industry) will start their work on making the required amount of products and the works are expected to start almost a month prior to the date of display.
 

Competitive Fireworks Display

The enthusiasm of viewers and organisers of the display would go up if it is a competition display between people from two areas, which are refered as Karas. Both the karas will have their own Asans and all of them sit together and finalise what are the type of crackers to be used in the display. Based on this, both the sides will prepare their products and fire it one after another. For instance, if the Asan representing one kara fires a rocket which explodes in red and green, the Asan representing the other Kara should also fire the same type of cracker he has manufactured. The winners will be decided based on the perfection these manufacturers were able to achieve in the specifications. This is also a prestige issue for many karas, which would spend more to win the competition.
 

The spirit of competition is similar to any competitive sport. Many organisers have gone bankrupt owing to their addiction to such competitions, say industry sources. Interestingly, while all the other districts insist on the high-decibel cracker as a must in the display, organisers in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, prefer more light and decorative crackers, said Jinju, who stopped the traditional work of manufacturing and now engaged in sales of firecrackers purchased from Sivakasi.

Firing The Crackers: The Process

Considering that the crackers are fired manually, how the Asan fills the pipes and how best he handles the ammunition is the key. The produced crackers are kept in a store and this would be transported to an open space where the Asan would fire them one by one. The process would become tedious and time consuming, some times even goes on for several hours. If it is a competition, the time taken will be doubled.
 

The Asan or the contractor who manufactures the firecrackers is mandated to have a license and for smaller manufacturers, who handles up to 15 kg of gunpowder, has to get license once in three years from the District Collectorate.The festival organiser has to get a display license from the relevant district collectorate to conduct the firecracker display. For larger manufacturers, the procedure is slightly different.
 

The gun powder is a mix of various chemicals including Potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur, and most of the time, it is purchased seperately and kept seperately, till the works starts. Once it is mixed, it is gunpowder and the regulation says that these small manufacturers should not have more than 15 kg of the gunpowder (the mixed substance) at a time. However, the business model is that once the materials are mixed, it would not be kept for long and will be fully used in one go.

There are 23 non-explosive substances, mainly metals and chemicals such as barium, aluminium powder and sulphur, which are used for adding colour to the amittu, which are of no harm to the manufacturer.
 

The firecrackers will now be taken to the site where the display has to take place and kept at different places. 
 

Another person from the industry said that the brightness and other qualities of materials used in the fireworks display materials are lower compared to the quality of small size products manufactured in Sivakasi for retail use. It may be noted that according to reports, the order size of the firecrackers displayed in the Puttingal temple was of around Rs 8 crore, according to reports. It has lasted for over three hours before the mishap took place at 3.30 a.m in the morning, it is said.
 

The Asan who wins the competition benefits the most through more orders from smaller festivals, since a successful display results in his fame spreading far and wide.