Manufacturers prefer making crackers by hand as they believe fewer accidents are caused when compared to using machines, which could cause chemical reactions

There is no mistaking Kimbulapitiya, located close to Negombo, for what it is: Sri Lanka’s fireworks village. From vendors to manufacturers, Kimbulapitiya is where one can find any kind of firecracker, ranging from strings of ‘rathingnga’ and sticks of ‘ahas kuuru’ to boxes of ‘nilaa’ and packets of ‘bambara chakra’. What you want, from colour to volume, you can find in Kimbulapitiya.

With Avurudu just days away, the hustle and bustle in Kimbulapitiya has died down somewhat; those who provide their products wholesale are running low on stocks. Retailers see customers dropping by even during the midday scorching heat. One vendor, Nimal Kumarawansha of Jayahanda Fireworks, put it simply: “Parents will face various struggles, but they want their children to be happy, so if their neighbour buys fireworks, they will also buy them for their children, even if it puts them in debt.”

Firecrackers are used to signal the dawning of an auspicious time or announce the commencement of an ‘Avurudu Ulela’. Fireworks are part of celebrations in Sri Lanka, with them being used at New Year’s Eve parties, weddings, and even concerts. The demand for firecrackers remains high, but the manufacturers in Kimbulapitiya talk about other challenges: The rising cost of materials to make the crackers.

In order to better understand the makings of firecrackers and the community that gets their hands dirty so we can add a splash of colour and a crack of noise to our celebrations, The Daily Morning Brunch headed to Kimbulapitiya recently.

An industry that goes beyond celebrations

For many of us, fireworks are synonymous with celebrations, but the industry caters not only to events and festivities, but also animal control and crop protection. Traniya owner M.D. Siriwimala estimated that ‘rathingnga’ sales alone come up to Rs. 10 billion a year in Sri Lanka. ‘Ali wedi’ sales, he said, exceeded Rs. 120 million annually, especially since they are used to diffuse the human-elephant conflict. Throughout the year, close to Rs. 2.5 billion is spent on firecrackers for crop protection, Siriwimala said.

Speaking to Siriwimala, we learnt that he has been in the industry for 22 years and knows the chemistry behind firecrackers, even more than someone in charge of explosives, he said, adding that he thus has knowledge about the safety aspects that can be a concern. He is licensed to supply chemicals to others and receives chemicals for testing. Siriwimala has also visited The Maldives four times for 31st Night firework shows.

During our visit just a week before Avurudu, Siriwimala confessed to not having a large stock left since most had been sold by then. He said manufacturers work throughout the year, and during the festive season, demand is high for products like whistles, ahas kuuru, bambara chakra, and mal wedi.

“All the chemicals we use are imported and we mix these here and make the crackers. Import restrictions affected us, even from the time of the Easter Attacks, and business came to a halt entirely. The situation is improving now, but with the dollar increasing, the cost of chemicals has increased by three-fold,” Siriwimala said.

He explained that chemicals are mainly imported from India, China and Russia, and the increase in cost has resulted in a drop in demand in the past few years. Siriwimala added that local manufacturers tend to do their own research into what chemicals to use, since they are unable to get the proper chemicals used in firework-making in Sri Lanka.

However, he emphasised the importance of using high quality chemicals because a defective product would not only harm the manufacturer’s reputation but also be unfair to the customer.

Environmental impact

Animal rights advocates are extremely vocal about the harmful impact of fireworks. Ahead of Avurudu, animal welfare organisation Embark shared the message: “Dogs have very sensitive hearing and the sound of fireworks and firecrackers can be very painful for them, making them run in panic and hide in fear. Many are injured and lost during fireworks season. Let’s be caring and celebrate this season without loud fireworks.”

When asked about manufacturing products that are more conscious of the harmful impact of firecrackers, Siriwimala said: “There are products made depending on specific environmental requirements, but the market or consumers are used to crackers that make sound. So we make certain products for big festivals, weddings and elections, which emit a loud sound.”

He added that they do get orders for silent fireworks, or products that don’t make a loud sound, especially to be used in areas with a large bird population. For such orders, they are able to meet the requirement and provide crackers that are suitable, like ‘ahas kuuru’ that only have a spark but no bang.

Hands over machines

Talking to The Daily Morning Brunch about the manufacturing process, Nimal Kumarawansha of Janahanda Fireworks said they prefer making crackers by hand. “We don’t use machines and do it all by hand. It is when using machines that there are the most accidents because the gunpowder reacts with the metal of the machines, which doesn’t happen when we make them by hand. There is no harm to the skin when making them by hand because some of the chemicals are those used to cure sores.”

He added that Janahanda makes fireworks, and also sells them directly to the customer as well as to other vendors. The business has been standing tall for over 40 years, with Kumarawansha’s father also having been in the industry.

He explained that the State Trading Corporation imports the gunpowder, which is then supplied to 3-4 dealers. It is from these dealers that manufacturers like Kumarawansha purchase the chemicals from. He too, said that costs have increased by three-fold in the past few years.

“Sales have dropped this year, because the price of crackers has increased. So there is less quantity of products but the cost is higher when buying them,” he said, adding that regardless of festivities, it is what he called akasha that sells the most. This is because they are used in crop protection by farmers.

“There is an organisation of license holders for firecrackers. We are also members of it. There are around 150 members, and the organisation helps with any issues we face when procuring materials and intervene on our behalf,” Kumarawansha added.

Hope runs low

Nisansala had plans to migrate, but when that didn’t work out, she decided to set up shop in the same industry as her father. She opened Jaya Sanka two years ago, through which she sells a range of firecrackers.

“There is a slight increase in sales since Christmas, but this could be because manufacturing also dropped in the village, with the products made during the Covid-19 pandemic not moving at all. There was almost no business,” Nisansala shared. She added that prices of products have increased since last year, but dropped slightly since Christmas.

Nisansala went on to say that strings of ‘rathingnga’ are what sell the most during Avurudu, but that ‘nilaa’ and ‘mal wedi’ sell the most on Christmas and 31st Night. She said that she plans on continuing this business, but added: “If the price of the chemicals drops, then business will improve. Prices rose a lot during Christmas, which is why production dropped. It is difficult to have hope about business improving greatly this year.”

Photos Lalith Perera