Hello friends!
This blog is all about fireworks! Crackers are most used in India during Diwali and in rest of the world they are most used during New Year. Apart from this, some people set off firecrackers during weddings and can also be seen during sporting events like cricket matches or football matches. This blog is for all crackers. Because fireworks have become a part of various traditions around the world, it is very important that you know about them in detail. How much pollution do they cause? Are they really harmful to health? What is their history? Are they part of Hindu traditions? Mughal tradition? Or Chinese tradition? Let's try to understand this from this blog.
"Where were the fireworks first set off?" "Where did the tradition of firecrackers start? And what is the real history?" Let's start our story from the year 1923. In a small village in Sivakashi, Tamil Nadu, P Ayya Nadar and his cousin Shanmuga Nadar, leave their village to go on a journey. They go to Kolkata to learn how to make matchsticks. They return to their hometown after 8 months, import machines from Germany, train laborers and start a matchmaking business. He named his company National Matches. After a few years, they also start making crackers. Under the brand name Rashtriya Fireworks. The first firecracker they made was a sparkler. Their business runs smoothly for the next 10-20 years. And then came World War II. That made things difficult for them. It became difficult to import from European countries. This led to a boom in manufacturers in India. To organize the industry, the British Government of India enacted an Act in 1940. Persons who manufacture, possess or sell firecrackers are regulated and licensed by the government. After this, the first organized firecracker manufacturing factory was established in India. In 1942 there were only 3 factories manufacturing firecrackers in India. Fast forwarding 40 years, by 1980, there were 189 factories. Nowadays, the reported number is more than 700. The cracker industry in India has a turnover of more than ₹80 billion. And the industry employs about 800,000 people. But Sivakashi has an important place in this context, because even today 90% of the crackers manufactured in India are made in Sivakashi. Although India's first firecracker factory was not set up in Sivakashi, it was in Kolkata in the 1800s. But what does this mean? Were there no firecrackers in India before 1800? Not so. Fireworks existed even before that, in fact there is a caste of people in India, firecrackers. They are considered a so-called 'backward' caste of Sunni Muslims. They call themselves Atishbaz Sheikh or Barudgir or Hawaigir. People of this caste are found in Banaras, Azamgarh, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, in fact there is a place called Atishbazan near Aligarh. They believe that their ancestors were brought from Central Asia by the Mughals. And their ancestors were specialists in the manufacture of gunpowder. We see historical mentions of him, such as Bengal Civil Service Officer W. Crookes in his book North Western Provinces of India written in 1897. They are mentioned in this book. Additionally, they are also mentioned in British Census reports. But after the arrival of the British, the relevance of the Atishbaaz society decreased. Because firecrackers were imported from Europe and China. Another reason is claimed by sociologist Neeta Kumar in her book The Artisans of Banaras 1880-1986. The then Nawabs and Zamindars had less funds to spend on fireworks and celebrations. They could not afford it. And the pyrotechnic community turned to making smaller fireworks. And finally refused.
What was the relevance of fireworks in the reign of kings? Hear this description from the Maratha Chronicle Peshwaini Bakhar. Here Mahadji Scindia describes the Diwali celebrations at Kota to Peshwa Sawai Madhavrao. He tells how Diwali festival was celebrated for 4 days in Kota. Hundreds of thousands of 'diyas' or earthen lamps are lit. The King of Kota also set off firecrackers. It was named Lanka.
Mahadji describes how Ravana was placed in the center surrounded by his demons, with a large image of Hanuman behind them. Everything was prepared with gunpowder and the scene of Lanka burning can be seen by lighting it. After hearing the description, Peshwa felt that there should be an exhibition in his city as well. And this grand performance of fireworks was seen for the first time by the people living in Pune. This was during the 1700s. Another king of this period was fond of firecrackers. Mughal ruler Roshan Akhtar. Also known as Mohammad Shah Ranjila. Mohammad Shah was his title and his nickname was Sada Rangila. It means happy person. You might not know much about this Mughal emperor, as he is mostly known for his defeat by Nadir Shah. And how the decline of the Mughal Empire began with him. But on the other hand he was a fan of art and culture. Music, painting and art flourished during his career. Apart from that, he also loved crackers. But the Rangmahal of Rangela used to be an important venue for Diwali celebrations. Earthen lamps will be installed around Shahjahanabad. The city we now know as Old Delhi. And at the end of a long pole was a special sky lamp. A similar description is read in William Dalrymple's book The Last Mughal. Written on Bahadur Shah Zafar. Bahadur Shah Zafar even worshiped the Hindu goddess Lakshmi in front of his fort. On his way back to the Mughal ruler Rangeela, he commissioned a peron specially for fireworks. Mir Atish He was given the responsibility of setting off fireworks from the Red Fort and women used to go to Qutub Minar to watch the fireworks from the Red Fort. Rangeela and Bahadur Shah Zafar were no exception. Professor Harbans Mukhia says that Diwali celebration was important from the reign of Akbar. Diwali was a festival celebrated by all, not just Hindus. The Mughals called it Jashan-e-Chiranghan. Festival of lights. Interestingly, Mughals celebrated not only Diwali but also Dussehra.
A contemporary Persian historian, Mirza Qatil, describes how Dussehra was celebrated in Delhi in the 18th century. Magnificent structures of Ravana were made from paper and cardboard. But Ravana was not full of firecrackers. Instead, there would be a pot in the belly of the building, filled with sherbet, and children would dress up as Lord Rama, who would then shoot arrows into the pot, and then the sherbet would be served to everyone. The earliest record of fireworks in the Mughal dynasty dates back to the reign of Akbar. When Akbar was 13 or 14 years old, he built a building for his enemy Hemu, filled it with firecrackers and set it on fire. It was in 1556. Dr Catherine Butler Schofield claims that Mughals and Rajputs used firecrackers a lot during winter and late autumn. We see numerous historical paintings depicting fireworks. Some paintings are in Rajasthani style, some in Pahari style, some in Mughal style. Apart from this, fireworks were also used during coronation. Like when Aurangzeb became ruler. You may wonder how. Aurangzeb banned bursting of firecrackers during Diwali. You may have read this on social media. Because some time ago a post that went viral on social media claimed that Aurangzeb had issued a royal order banning firecrackers during Diwali. After such a document was discovered to actually exist, in 1667 Aurangzeb issued an imperial order to the governor to ban firecrackers. "The emperor has ordered the governors of the provinces to ban firecrackers. And Faulad Shah has ordered to proclaim in the city that firecrackers, articles used in festivals and weddings, made of gunpowder, should not be used." But the special thing is that Diwali was not specifically mentioned here. The order only mentioned fireworks. Used for any happy occasion. Be it weddings or Muslim festivals. Yes, that's right, Shab-e-Barat is a Muslim festival, for which firework displays were common. It was a complete ban on firecrackers. I don't know why. But this decree was issued on 8 April 1667. But leave Aurangzeb aside and go back to the Mughals.
Were firecrackers used even before Mughal rule? Answer: Yes! In the late historian Satish Chandra's book, Medieval India: Sultanate from the Mughals, he describes how in 1609 AD, Sultan Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur paid a huge dowry and spent Rs 80,000 on fireworks. It is in present day Karnataka. Even further, in 1518, an official in Portuguese India wrote in his travelogue, named Duarte Barbosa, that he went to Gujarat and witnessed a wedding in a Brahmin family, where the guests were danced, sung and entertained. By firing rockets and bombs. Even further, in 1443, in the state of Vijayanagara, the Italian traveler Ludovico de Varthema describes how elephants became unruly in Vijayanagara due to fireworks and fear of fire. Eminent historian P.K.Gode wrote a book on the history of firecrackers. A.D. They estimate that firecrackers started in India around 1400. Gunpowder was first used in Indian warfare. The question arises as to who brought these firecrackers to India. Famous medieval historian Farishta writes in his book Tarikh e Farishta that in 1258, fireworks were set off in the court of Naseeruddin Mohammad in Delhi. 3,000 firecrackers were set off to welcome the envoy of the Mongol ruler Hulagu Khan. About a century later, in 1350, fireworks were set off in Delhi during the reign of Feroze Shah Tughlaq. As is evident from Tarikh-i Firozshahi, this took place on the evening of the Shab-e-Barat festival. After watching this video, Muslims will now say that fireworks are part of their tradition and culture. Actually, the Mongols brought gunpowder from China. Genghis Khan used gunpowder during Mongol invasions, and it was the Mongols who spread gunpowder to other European and Asian nations. It is said that Europeans learned about gunpowder from the Mongols or the famous traveler Marco Polo. The first mention appears around 1300. In England, the first recorded firework display was at the wedding of Henry VII in 1486. And in America, Captain John Smith had the first firework display in 1608. In the past, Americans used fireworks for special occasions. And when America became independent, in 1776, fireworks were used for celebrations. That's why, friends, fireworks are now a big part of the tradition of celebrating Independence Day.
Another question that arises here is how these crackers were invented? It is said that around 200 BC, the Chinese accidentally discovered firecrackers. When they put the bamboo in the fire. They saw it explode like fireworks. But it took another millennium for man-made fireworks to develop. Around 800, an alchemist was mixing some chemicals to find an elixir of immortality. Incidentally he mixed sulphur, charcoal and potassium nitrate. When he lit the fire, there was an explosion. And that, friends, is how gunpowder was invented. This black powder was known as Huo Yao. fire chemistry. And when the Chinese stuffed this powder into bamboo and then lit it, that was the invention of fireworks. The first fireworks they invented were ground-moving rockets. Horizontally moving rockets. Today, it is an accepted fact that most historians agree that this is how fireworks were invented in China. Despite this, some people try to argue that firecrackers were invented in India and not in China. As proof, he cites some historical texts like Skanda Purana, Vaishnava Kanda, Chapter 2, Verse 65 which imply that people carried balls of fire to light their way. It is a common understanding that the term meteor used here does not refer to fireworks. Dr. G.V. Historians like Tagare tell us that the word refers to a torch. People carried burning torches with them. The reason is said to be the return of Lord Rama with his wife Sita to Ayodhya while Diwali is being celebrated today. And so people have been celebrating Diwali for generations. But if you read verses 49 to 60 of this Purana, you will see that there is another reason to celebrate Diwali.
According to this the demon king Bali was very arrogant. So Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a Brahmin and asked King Bali for a land spread over 3 steps. The king smiled at this and agreed to the request. But Lord Vishnu, disguised as a Brahmin, grew up. So big that it covered the entire earth and sky in 2.5 steps. It was then that Bali realized his arrogance. He requested Lord Vishnu to allow him to rule for three more days. May his consort Goddess Lakshmi remain in the homes of the people who light earthen lamps. And if people offer their lamps to Hades on the 14th day, their ancestors will not be sent to Hades. The point here is that earthen lamps or lamps are frequently mentioned here. Some other texts like Kautilya's Arthashastra are also quoted here. Nitiprakasika by Vaishampayan. 7,000 Bogur Verses by Saint Bogur. But there is no mention of fireworks. Instead, these texts refer to Agnichuran or Vediyuppu. These refer to fire powders or explosive salts. Historians believe that these refer to Salt Petre. A natural substance found in caves around the world. The thing is, if firecrackers were actually used in ancient India, we would have seen them in pictures. It is reflected in art. But we see this only after 1300. Anyway, enough history. Let's move on to the pollution aspect.
Do fireworks cause pollution? Yes absolutely. No one disagrees with this. All agree that fireworks cause pollution, but the level of pollution is disputed. Hence vehicles cause more pollution. or wildfires in fields. So let's look at the research studies on this. A study was conducted in 2016 by the Chest Research Foundation (CRF) in Pune. They used a light scattering photometer to record the minute level of PM2.5. They analyzed different types of firecrackers to see the level of pollution caused by each type. The six most popular crackers are the particulates emitted from these crackers that are 200 to 2,000 times higher than the safe limit declared by the World Health Organization. India Spend analyzed the results of this study and compared it to a 50m³ room, a closed room with a single cigarette lit, and the PM2.5 levels emitted from it. PM 2.5 is particulate matter 2.5 is a harmful substance that causes pollution. Their analysis found that one of these crackers released as much PM2.5 as that released by 34 cigarettes. One sparkler is equivalent to 74 cigarettes. These 1,000-piece crackers are equivalent to 277 cigarettes. People claim that vehicles pollute more than fireworks in a year. But there is so much pollution in that one day that, just for comparison, it's like sending a small child into a closed room with 50 people smoking cigarettes. Pollution from vehicles also needs to be controlled. Pollution from factories also needs to be controlled. The government should have strict rules regarding them. There is also a need to control stubble burning in the fields. Pollution emitted by firecrackers is also pollution. and must be controlled. To average it out over the year and call it negligible is grossly inaccurate, as I explained with the cigar.
For example, when there is so much pollution due to massive firecrackers in one day, it can be compared indifferently. Even after hearing this some people will say that even though there is no mention of firecrackers in Valmiki's Ramayana, firecrackers were invented by the Chinese and brought to India by the Mongols, yet, historically, Diwali has nothing to do with firecrackers, yet they will light firecrackers. A single cracker is equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes simultaneously in a closed room. If you claim that children enjoy it, I would like to point out that children's enjoyment depends on the conditioning they receive. If you tell them that drawing rangolis is more fun, lighting lights and decorating the house is more fun, the real fun is spending time with friends and family, of course they will want to do the same. . Some people suggest green crackers as a solution. But green crackers doesn't mean they don't pollute. They emit only 30% less pollution than normal crackers. According to me, the middle ground is that people should stop bursting firecrackers individually, instead, the government can organize public events for firecracker display, this can be done on New Year's Eve, Diwali or any major occasion. This has 2 major advantages. The first is that since you are not close to the fireworks, the dangerous effects of air pollution will be much less when you only watch the display from a distance. And secondly, if the people living in the city stop setting off firecrackers themselves, instead the government organizes public shows, the need for firecrackers will be greatly reduced. If you like this blog, then follow, comment.
Thank you very much!
No comments:
Post a Comment