Avatar, Troy and Narnia are new crackers to light up the sky this Diwali. Trust Hot Mirchi to make the most noise but take note of its price before buying it, says Karan Bhardwaj
Sweet Sixteen wrapped in shimmering green and red sits pretty on the cardboard piles. Choco Green Balls find their way out to roll on the ground. And Rock and Roll is placed like a King’s crown on the front shelf of a small store. These new entrants in the crackers category are the major crowd puller in the market, helping dealers recover cost. We discovered that market is also abuzz with soundless crackers, for those who believe in air pollution but are against sound. We took a walk at the Sadar Bazar market and found out what’s hot and what’s not.
Silence please!
Sweet Sixteen, a cracker with 16 shots, is low-intensity sky shot. It has variety of colours and functions. The fresh lot also comprises Hot Mirchi, Monster and Rock n Roll. They create sounds as per the titles, like Mirchi sky shot has crispy sounds resembling the sound of burning chillies. Monster is very dominating in the sky while Rock n Roll creates fun shapes once blown off. Among the soundless lot, Red Diadem 20 is a good option. Dealers assert sky shots, soundless crackers and other shots are the selling like hot cakes. “I think people are fed up of noise. They have evolved tastes,” said Harjeet Singh, chairman of Sadar Nishkam Welfare Association. Interestingly, rocket sales have dropped drastically. “People are done with bombs like Nazi, rockets and chakhris. Crackers with music, sparkling shots are selling,” he said.
Brand loyalty
Firecrackers based on movie titles are not a new phenomenon. This year, there are theme-based crackers on some old and latest Hollywood flicks like Narnia, Troy and Avatar. But they rarely impress customers. “People choose manufacturing brands over the titles of these firecrackers. No matter how exciting they sound, companies like Sony and Cock are bestsellers,” said Singh adding that other companies like Standard and Coronation are preferred in Mumbai. On the condition of anonymity, a customer revealed, “We have always bought Cock’s crackers because most of them come out pretty well and they are fairly priced. Standard’s products are very expensive but poor.”
low business
Though dealers in Chandni Chowk and Sadar Bazar have good footfalls, the firecrackers’ business has plunged if compared to last few years. Buyers are not spending money, citing inflation and skyrocketed prices as reasons. “Prices have doubled in last two years. What used to be of Rs 250 is now available at Rs 500. So the demand has slashed accordingly,” said Mukesh, a dealer at Sadar Bazar. “People think they can get discounted rates if they flock markets at the last minute. However, that’s not the case. We are also getting crackers at inflated rates, so selling them beyond a point is not feasible. The overall business has dropped almost 20 per cent if compared to last year,” he added. HS Bhalla, a garment exporter and a cracker enthusiast, holds his heart while getting his son to crackers’ markets. “Now I buy just crackers for shagun. My budget doesn’t allow to spend thousands for a fun which fizzles out in one night,” he said.
But if you know the art to bargain, you might crack a good deal. A sky shot by Standard with the printed price of Rs 850 was sold at Rs 250 as we chased a ‘smart buyer’ at Sadar Bazar. “They tell you inflated rates intentionally. But that gimmick doesn’t work with seasoned customers,” said the buyer. Mukesh admits that customers want the best deal at wholesale markets since local players also sell at reasonable prices. Harjeet Singh’s shop at Sadar has interesting placards to fetch attention.
It reads that a city, which is plagued by dengue, can only be rectified by firing crackers, since government doesn’t offer any solution to the epidemic. “We are not influencing people but offering a creative solution,” quipped Singh.
photos Pankaj Kumar