SIVAKASI

 SIVAKASI

 

There could be eyebrows arching up –as to what the title tries to bring about. Honestly, it is just an impulsive response, as I had to carefully tread my path through the prospect of getting hit by a fire cracker or any other deftly designed pyro product ruling the evening skies on deepavali day. Seeing the recent videos of Israel-Iran counter attacks, our plight through Chennai streets is far more complex with the liberal scope a splinter landing on a passer-by, while in the countries of conflict missiles were precisely guided on to targets. So, scope of a heavy missile hitting a passer-by is ruled out. The scenario is somewhat unnerving, since the persons celebrating deepavali are in a  competitive mood letting of a variety of such pyro products , some known ,some unknown, some have bizarre attitude of “love thy neighbour”, even as they emit rich sparkles while moving off like unknown planets. Literally one has to find his/her way through such cross fire from houses on either side in any street. Even more alarming is the ‘directionless’ galloping of stray dogs that seek cover of safety from the noise of these bombshells; in their panic they intervene and staying guarded from those strays in an urgency is an exercise of sorts.   

The day’s print medium carried a news that firecracker sale in the current season has had a whopping value of Rs 6000/- crores [for Sivakasi ] and another 2000/-crores from Virudhunagar belt. These two towns of South Tamilnadu, have several manufacturing units –big and small thriving on fireworks industry. However, it is Sivakasi that holds pride for making ‘state of the art’ products in Pyro techniques and in printing technology. In Tamilnadu two places promise job opportunities   for any- one. They  are Tirupur near Coimbatore with a plethora of Garment manufacturing factories and Sivakasi with 2 major sectors of Firework industries and the most modern Printing houses in this ‘Dry, Sun-scorched’ town.  Through best part of the year Sivakasi has a dry climate. It is this Sun blessed –Sun bathedclimate making it  ideal for firework product making and for colour offset printing. Either trade needs that the product made quickly dries up and remains crisp, lest damp products should suffer poor marketability.

Equally, the printing job involves multilayer printing of three or more superimposed colour layers of image [which together present an elegant image in the final reckoning]. That each print layer gets dried up even as it rolls out of the machine is a ‘no-compromise’ demand to avoid smudging of dyes. It is a god-sent blessing of climate that the town has a majestic record of turnover in economic yield and has pan India clientele for matches, varied versions of fire crackers and other pleasant sparklers that mark festivity in all parts of the country.

The printing of calendars, Diaries and other annual stationery of prestigious organizations of India are elegantly executed by printing technicians of Sivakasi.

 

With no hesitation one may state that the fireworks industry of Sivakasi has a powerful R&D network that brings forth quite updated products in firecrackers and other elegant products of pyro technique.   Besides, the industry is able to face stiff competition and also abide by revised norms relating to safety, levels of pollution and other stipulations issued from time to time. No agency is able to enforce safety to the workers in firework manufacturing units, as the raw material is prone to go off exploding in flames by sheer friction during packaging. 

 A tiny town –Sivakasi has thus, registered a place of pride by hard labour and sticking to time schedule for releasing all firework products and Calendars / related stationery that have a relevance of ephemeral value. That in the current season firecrackers manufactured, have had a sale of 90%- is an important signal of sustenance.

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