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WITH Divali round the corner, it is time for the usual safety tips about firecrackers, candles and, of course, those tiny electric series of bulbs that add so much of brightness to the festival of lights. Let me begin with the candles that now top the list of purchases for the festival. Unlike in the past, when all that one could get in the department of candles were those boring straight, tall, white pieces, which required a lot of effort to even keep them upright, today candles are one of the most attractive items that adorn shop shelves during Divali. Kept in highly decorated containers, they add a touch of class to the festivities. However, once lit, one needs to be extra careful with these candles. For example, they should never be kept on a wooden surface, or even close to wooden furniture, or wooden shelves because wood gets heated up very fast and can well catch fire. So always keep them on a flat, fire-resistant surface, away from paper and clothes, particularly curtains. If you have kept them inside the house, remember to extinguish them when there is still about half an inch of wax in the container, so that the container does not get heated up, or catch fire. If there is no container, then extinguish it when there is still about two inches of wax left. Never leave a lighted candle in an unoccupied room. Also remember to extinguish all the candles before you go to bed.
In fact most parents allow children to light sparklers or phooljharis in the belief that they are relatively safe. Well, you may find this difficult to believe, but in the US sparklers are mostly responsible for burn injuries in young children. In 2004, as many as 300 children below the age group of five had got hurt from sparklers. In fact it is said that sparklers and rockets contribute to about 57 per cent of the burn injuries caused by firecrackers in the US. Rockets have been responsible for a number of accidents and injuries in India, too, because of their very nature. But then, which firecracker is safe? Even the innocuous-looking cracker strips that are put into toy guns and fired (they make a loud noise when triggered) have been found to cause serious eye injuries, burn injuries and, in some cases, even deafness in small children when fired close to their ear. Flower pots or anars, too, have caused grievous harm. In the case of M/S Anil Fireworks Factory and another vs Shivan Kumar (RP no 2137 of 2003), the national commission not only warned consumers of the dangers inherent in the bursting of these firecrackers but also cautioned manufacturers that they will have to pay for the consequences of poor quality. In this case, Shivan Kumar, who received severe burn injuries on his right hand a day before Divali in 1997, was awarded a compensation of Rs 50,000. So it is best to avoid individual bursting of firecrackers. Have a happy and safe
Deepawali.
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As far as firecrackers
are concerned, I have always maintained that a community fireworks
display is always the best way to celebrate. I would still advocate
that as it reduces considerably the danger of children becoming
victims of firecracker accidents either because of poor quality
crackers, or because of wrong or careless handling of these
pyrotechnic devices.