By Rajat Rai
Lucknow, Oct 12 (IANS) Confetti, Flower Power, Fake Note Burst, Snake Mix - guess what these are? Eco-friendly firecrackers that have found many takers among Lucknow residents this Diwali.

These produce sound that is under the permissible decibel level, make for safe sparkles, emit pleasant colours and come in a price range to fit all pockets to celebrate the festival Oct 17.

“These eco-friendly crackers are slowly gaining popularity after they hit the market about three years ago. As far as our sales figures show, they have now touched nearly 40 percent of the total crackers sold in Lucknow and other bigger districts of the state,” Gulsher Azad, one of the biggest distributors in the city, told IANS.

Instead of using conventional polluting explosives like gun powder and phosphate, the eco-friendly crackers are using more advanced technology.

“These crackers, manufactured mostly in India, are made by using the vacuum technology. They produce sound under the permissible decibel limit, throw up safe sparkles made of paper and glittering plastic to a good height and also produce colours by reflecting the light in the surroundings,” Azad said.

“The Fake Note Burst throws out nearly 100 fake Rs.500 notes in the air, much to the surprise of onlookers, some of whom also rush around to collect them!”

The price range, according to a seller, is also within the buying capacity of all classes of society.

“These crackers are available in the price range of Rs.50 to Rs.1,500. We also convince the customers to spend a portion of their budget on these eco-friendly crackers,” Mohammad Sheikh, another seller, said.

The sellers also claim and demonstrate that these crackers are safe for children and can even be blasted in confined areas like a room or a hall.

“As they do not have any explosives, they are safe even for newborns. This is the USP of these crackers that convince the buyers, as the majority of families have small children,” Azad added.

Besides local buyers, corporate houses are also opting for these crackers to gift them to their employees.

“Gift packs of these crackers cost almost the same. They range from Rs.200 to Rs.1,000 and by giving these to our employees and customers, we are also sending out a message of a pollution free world,” the senior executive of a telecom company said preferring anonymity.

The sellers, who have been allowed to display their wares in front of the Lucknow city railway station, are also getting orders from other districts of the state.

“As of now, we have about 25 varieties of these crackers. However, by early next week we will have over 100 other varieties. Orders from neighbouring districts like Sitapur, Barabanki, Faizabad, Varanasi, Kanpur, Allahabad have already started flooding in,” Azad said.

The Association of the Fire Crackers Sellers Association of the city also has made an appeal to people to buy these.

“Use branded and eco-friendly crackers for the safety of your family and for the protection of our mother earth,” said Azad, who is also an office bearer of the association.

(Rajat Rai can be contacted at rajat.r@ians.in)