Is Using One Year Old Diwali Crackers Safe

How can one justify the burning of Deepawali/Diwali crackers?

Supreme court has banned the fire crackers this Diwali due to increasing environmental pollution and I am in favor of the decision taken by our honorable Supreme Court. Also, according to Article 21 of the Indian Constitution, it states that everybody has the right to dignity and comfort, right to livelihood in a clean environment.First of all tell me why do we celebrate Diwali?? Because Lord Ram came back after a long 14 years exile and in the happiness of his return we lighted diyas and candles to lighten up our houses. We wear new clothes and ate sweets.But today we are celebrating Diwali by burning such noisy crackers. Remember, Diwali is a festival of lights not the festival of noise. By burning fire crackers, we are only contributing to air pollution which in turn is deteroiting our Mother Earth. I have heard from many people that by burning fire crackers for a day or for a week how the air quality will get affected since there are many industries running which are violating norms and vehicles also that are the major polluters of our environment.But think calmly that though there are many sources which are contributing to air and noise pollution but why should we be even a minor contributor to pollution. Even small things can make a change. Some people think that what would be the positive effect if we are not burning fire crackers. But it should be remembered that one person can make a change.So, I request all of you to avoid burning crackers on this Diwali. Make it a noise free and pollution free Diwali. Please Please think over the matter with cool mind and even prevent your children, brothers and sisters, your elders from burning those dangerous crackers. Even I hadn’t burnt crackers form the last five to six years.

What historical connection is there between firecrackers and Diwali? When did Indians start bursting crackers and how did it become a part of our culture?

Please stop misleading people and twisting our history folks..The real story goes like….Many of us have had an experience of being approached by NGOs which call for a boycott of Diwali through some misleading information which could be broadly classified as follows1) Fireworks are a modern invention.2) Fireworks were never a part of Indian culture.The above claims are purely false propaganda created with an intention to distort Indian history. This article debunks such myths by consolidating all the documentary evidences which proves that Fireworks are atleast 2000 years old and has indeed been an integral part of Indian culture cutting across religions, caste, creed & gender for several hundreds of years.The major constituent of firework is Gunpowder which in turn comprises of Saltpetre (Potassium Nitrate), Sulfur & Charcoal. While the Sulfur & Charcoal act as fuel to prolong the combustion, it is actually the Saltpetre which gives the characteristic purple flame due to which Fireworks are used not only for military but aesthetic (celebratory) purposes as well. Historians around the world have confirmed that the knowlege of gunpowder existed in ancient India. Dr Gustav Oppert (a German Indologist) has done extensive research on this and has been an authority on this subject, with his works being accepted & quoted by several books by authors & historians around the world.Paintings from 16th & 17th centuries suggests that fireworks were part of celebrations/festivals by the masses (royalty as well as non-royalty) and not limited to any particular religion or gender.

People are going viral with the cracker-free Diwali campaign, but why hasn't there been much hype about stopping animal sacrifices for Bakrid or any other Hindu festival? Both cause damage to our environment.

Why aren't they? Secular hypocrisy? Double Standards? No.Reason 1: Math!There are 138,188,240 Muslims in India. The average number of people is a Muslim family is 6 (Man, woman and 4 children). For a festival like Bakrid, families get together. So let's take one bakra feeds 20 people from a joint family.31% of the Muslims live below BPL. So lets round the total number under consideration to 130,000,000. No of bakras slaughered= 130,000,000/20 = 65,00,000.Of which most are specifically bred to be slaughtered! So before you ask them about the bakra, ask yourself about the chicken you had last night. Reason 2: Impact!Bakrid or any animal sacrifice doesn't impact the environment like Diwali or Holi does. Yes, you might find that Bakra meh-ing close to your home irritating or feel sorry for it but,No sulphur emmisions.No noise pollution except for one loud cry when the sword strikes!Reason 3: Goodness!Every festival is marked by goodness. Bakrid, goes a step further in doing this. Quoting the lines from Eid al-Adha,Meat is divided into three equal parts: one for the poor, one for friends and neighbours and a third for one’s self. .We might go on and say stop spilling blood, but that would be at the cost of that poor guy's meal!  Let us stop asking why. Let us share the goodness, joy and happiness every festival brings to each of us.P.S: All numbers taken from Islam in India.Related answer: Abhiram Iyer's answer to Why do environmentally friendly people who advocate saving water on Holi and request not to use crackers on Diwali do not raise their voices against cruelty to animals on Eid?

Who started the tradition of bursting crackers and thus making noise on Diwali?

Sources claim bursting crackers originated in China in some 8th century when firecrackers were believed to be a source of frightening evil souls and then it reached Europe, Arab and India. Somehow it got tagged along with Diwali.Petrillo, Valerie (28 May 2007). Asian American History. Chicago Review Press.ISBN 978-1-55652-634-3.