Crackers are safe when they are handled with care. Please read these guidelines with your family before you light anything, and make sure children understand them too. A few minutes of preparation keeps your celebration happy for everyone.
Before you begin
- Buy only from a licensed shop and keep crackers in their original boxes until you use them.
- Store the boxes in a cool, dry place away from the kitchen, candles, oil lamps, electrical points and direct sunlight.
- Choose an open outdoor area with no overhead wires, dry leaves, vehicles or parked two-wheelers nearby.
- Keep two buckets of water and a bucket of sand ready at the spot before lighting the first cracker.
- Wear cotton clothes that fit close to the body. Avoid silk, synthetic material, loose dupattas and long flowing sleeves.
- Tie back long hair, and keep footwear on at all times.
- Read the instructions printed on each box, because the safe distance is different for a flower pot, a rocket and a repeating shot.
Do's and Don'ts
Please do
- Light one cracker at a time, and only with an agarbatti or a long candle held at arm’s length.
- Keep the box of crackers well away from the one you are lighting.
- Place ground chakkars, flower pots and repeating shots on flat, hard ground before lighting.
- Step back immediately after lighting and watch from a safe distance.
- Let children burst crackers only under the direct supervision of an adult.
- Keep a first-aid box and a mobile phone within reach.
- Soak used crackers in water before throwing them in the bin.
- Think of your neighbours, elderly people, babies, patients and street animals when choosing the time and place.
Please don't
- Never hold a lit cracker in your hand or throw one at another person.
- Never lean over a cracker while lighting it. Light it from the side, at arm’s length.
- Never relight a cracker that did not go off. Wait at least 10 minutes, then pour water on it.
- Never light crackers inside the house, on a balcony, in a narrow lane or near a gas cylinder.
- Never keep crackers in your pocket, and never carry them in a cloth bag while lighting others.
- Never make your own crackers or open a cracker to take out the chemical powder.
- Never light crackers near a fuel pump, a hospital, a school, a place of worship or a transformer.
- Never let children carry a matchbox, a lighter or a lit agarbatti without an adult.
Children's safety
Children love crackers the most, so they need the most attention. Give young children only sparklers, ground chakkars and other low-noise items, and stay within arm’s reach. Make them hold a sparkler away from the body and never near the face or clothes. Drop the finished wire straight into a bucket of water, because it stays hot long after the light goes out. Keep babies, pets and elderly family members indoors with the windows closed while crackers are being burst.
If something goes wrong
For a small burn: hold the area under clean running water for 10 to 15 minutes. Do not apply toothpaste, oil, ice, ash or turmeric, and do not break any blister. Cover it loosely with a clean cotton cloth.
For an eye injury: do not rub the eye and do not wash it with anything except clean water. Cover it lightly and go to a hospital at once.
If clothes catch fire: stop, drop and roll on the ground, or wrap the person in a thick blanket. Do not let them run.
Any burn that is larger than a palm, or any burn on the face, eyes or hands, needs a doctor immediately. Please do not wait at home.
Rules to follow
Fireworks in India are controlled by the Explosives Act and by orders of the Supreme Court and the state authorities. The rules can change each year, so please check the current announcements from your district administration and police before Diwali. In general:
- Burst crackers only during the hours permitted in your area.
- Use only approved crackers with the manufacturer’s details printed on the box.
- Silence zones around hospitals, schools, courts and places of worship must be respected.
- Fireworks cannot be sent by post, courier, air or ordinary parcel service. They move only by approved road transport.
Our promise on delivery
We pack every order carefully and hand it over to licensed transport only. Please check the parcel in front of the delivery staff and tell us the same day if anything is damaged or missing. Keep the delivered boxes away from your kitchen and light sources until the day you use them.
Emergency numbers
Fire service: 101 | Ambulance: 108 | Police: 100
Harini pattasukadai Crackers: +919xxxxxxxxxx
Crackers are lit entirely at the user’s own risk. harini pattasukadai is not responsible for accidents, injury or loss caused by careless handling, storage or use of fireworks. Please celebrate safely and follow the instructions on every box.