Photo : Collected
Wrapping heaps of cone-shaped sparklers in red paper and trimming lengths of silver fuse by the hundreds, workers at an Indian fireworks factory race to meet orders for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
Authorities regularly impose bans on the smoky pyrotechnics to reduce the hazardous pollution they cause, but to many, firecrackers are an integral part of the holiday's celebrations.
Toxic chemical fumes hang heavy in the air at the factory in Sivakasi, a city in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, the heartland of India's fireworks production.
It is a risky job, with deadly explosions in factories taking place each year in India, but workers say they have little choice.
"There is no other job opportunity in the area", said 49-year-old Rajathi, pausing from the rapid work of sealing explosives in garish wrapping.
Rajathi, who uses only one name, said she did not want her children to follow in her footsteps at a job where she earns up to 800 rupees ($9.50) a day.
Cigarette lighters and mobile phones are often banned inside the factory, where conditions are bare-bones.
Workers, sitting on the floor, dip fuses with bare hands into pots of a silver-coloured mixture.
Others spread glue onto wrappers with their fingers, while others scatter the handmade paper shells of the fireworks out on mats to dry in the sun. Sivaraj, aged 29, is new to the job.
"I know there have been accidents in the factories before, but I need to work to eat," he said.
Without formal education, he had few options.
"That is why I came to work in a fireworks factory", Sivaraj said, who also uses one name.
Diwali this year falls on November 1, and workers are busy packing boxes to meet the nationwide surge of demand.
Messenger/Disha
