J. PRAVEEN PAUL JOSEPH
For Sivakasi, where fireworks are not merely manufactured but woven into the economic and social fabric of an entire region, September 30, 2026, may well be remembered as the day an old industry was offered a new beginning.
The Supreme Court’s permission for the manufacture of ‘Next Generation Joined Green Crackers’, subject to the conditions prescribed by the Court and competent authorities, has rekindled hopes in Tamil Nadu’s fireworks capital after years of uncertainty over one of its most popular products — the traditional joined cracker, popularly known as ‘sara vedi’.
- A 2018 ban had pushed the traditional joint-cracker out of legal production, leaving manufacturers and skilled workers searching for alternatives
- The September 30 ruling brings relief to Sivakasi’s fireworks ecosystem, from manufacturers and workers to paper and allied industries
- Industry estimates suggest joint-crackers once accounted for nearly 40 per cent of fireworks production in different varieties
- The revival comes with a clear rider: scientific validation, environmental safeguards, statutory compliance and safety cannot be afterthoughts
- For Sivakasi, the challenge is no longer merely to bring back an old favourite, but to reinvent it for a more environmentally conscious India
For an industry that has spent years negotiating the difficult intersection of livelihood, tradition, public safety and environmental concerns, however, this is less a licence to return to the past than an invitation to build a different future.
The significance of the ruling is therefore larger than the revival of one cracker variety.
It is about whether science can provide the bridge between tradition and environmental responsibility.
A verdict that rekindles an old Sivakasi economy
The Supreme Court bench comprising Justice M.M. Sundresh and Justice Prasanna B. Varale passed the order on September 30 permitting the manufacture of Next Generation Joined Green Crackers, subject to compliance with the stipulated conditions.
For Sivakasi and the wider Virudhunagar fireworks ecosystem, the timing has generated considerable relief.
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Production of joint-crackers through legal means had come to an end in 2018 following court restrictions, industry sources said. The consequences extended beyond factory owners. Skilled workers, traders, suppliers and several allied sectors dependent on the fireworks economy were affected.
Ganesan Panjurajan, President, The Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association (TANFAMA), described the development as “a significant milestone for the fireworks industry and a great day for all the stakeholders.”
The association has credited scientists, research institutions, regulatory authorities, industry representatives and government agencies with helping develop and present the scientific evidence concerning the new-generation crackers.
That is an important distinction.
The Court’s permission is not simply a return of the old product under a new label. The phrase ‘Next Generation Joined Green Crackers’ itself points towards a regulatory and technological transition.
From ‘sara vedi’ to green technology
Joint-crackers were once a familiar part of Sivakasi’s fireworks landscape. P.N. Deva, District Secretary, CITU, Virudhunagar, said the revival could help sustain the livelihoods of more than six lakh workers dependent on the fireworks ecosystem.
He recalled that joint-crackers constituted around 40 per cent of total production across different varieties when the product was in full production.
The economic importance of the product can be understood from the network of skilled workers associated with it.
Workers from places such as Viswanatham, Meenampatti, Boovanathapuram, Lakshmiyapuram, Naranapuram and Thiruthangal had developed specialised skills in making the crackers. Deva recalled that workers could earn around Rs 150 for making a five-thousand wala, reflecting the labour-intensive nature of the product.
But nostalgia cannot become a substitute for compliance.
The revival will have meaning only if the new-generation product demonstrably meets the environmental, safety and manufacturing conditions attached to it.
That is where Sivakasi’s next chapter will be written.
A revival that could reach beyond fireworks
The ripple effects may extend well beyond fireworks factories.
T. Kannan, General Secretary, The Indian Fireworks Manufacturers Association (TIFMA), pointed to the likely benefits for allied industries, particularly paper manufacturers.
With more than 90 per cent of India’s fireworks production originating from Sivakasi, he said the fireworks hub remains the second-largest consumer of paper in India.
That makes the industry less a single-sector story and more a regional industrial ecosystem involving paper, printing, packaging, transport, trading and ancillary employment.
The same interconnectedness explains why any regulatory change in fireworks production is felt across Virudhunagar.
Sivakasi Fireworks Manufacturers Association president Asaithambi, meanwhile, said the immediate impact may be limited because the current year’s Diwali production is already nearing completion.
With the festival season approaching, he estimated that 80-90 per cent of production had already been completed and that production would wind down after the October Puja festival.
The larger impact, therefore, could emerge next season.
Can legality replace the underground market?
There is another potentially significant consequence.
V. Kathalingam, President, Tamil Nadu Cape and Pattaasu Urpathiyalargal Sangam, Vembakottai, recalled that when joint-crackers were prohibited, ‘ottu vedi’ emerged as an alternative.
He also pointed to the enforcement challenges confronting the sector, saying around 170 factories in Vembakottai had been closed in a crackdown on violations two months ago.
The return of a legally permissible, scientifically evaluated product could therefore have implications for enforcement as well.
But that outcome will depend on one critical condition: the regulated product must remain genuinely regulated.
A Supreme Court-approved manufacturing pathway cannot become an excuse for unlicensed production, unsafe handling or diversion into prohibited products.
Indeed, the industry itself has acknowledged this responsibility.
TANFAMA has reiterated its commitment to complying with the Court’s directions, statutory regulations, environmental safeguards and safety standards, while working with government agencies, scientific institutions and regulatory authorities.
That commitment will ultimately be judged not by declarations but by implementation.
The demand is not only for Diwali
The commercial appeal of joint-crackers also extends beyond the festival calendar.
N. Elangovan, General Secretary, The Federation of Tamil Nadu Fireworks Traders Association, said consumption was not restricted to Diwali. Weddings, auspicious occasions and public celebrations organised by political parties throughout the year have traditionally generated demand.
In his words, “the demand for joint crackers is pretty much infinite.”
That observation captures both the opportunity and the responsibility.
A product used throughout the year requires year-round attention to safety, pollution control, licensing, storage, transportation and enforcement.
The challenge for the industry is therefore to ensure that the revival of production does not simply revive old practices along with the old product.
Sivakasi’s real test starts now
The fireworks industry has a history stretching back more than a century. It has also provided livelihoods to generations of families.
Its future, however, cannot be secured by invoking history alone.
The Supreme Court’s order offers Sivakasi an opportunity to demonstrate that traditional manufacturing clusters can evolve through research, technology and rigorous regulation without abandoning the communities that depend on them.
That means putting science before sentiment, compliance before convenience and safety before speed.
The industry’s own description of the development as the outcome of sustained scientific research and technological innovation sets an important benchmark.
If the Next Generation Joined Green Crackers genuinely represent a technological improvement, Sivakasi now has the opportunity to demonstrate that proposition transparently — through measurable environmental performance, strict quality control, worker safety and consistent regulatory oversight.
The revival of the ‘sara vedi’ may therefore be the most visible part of the story.
The more consequential story is whether Sivakasi can turn an old craft into a cleaner, safer and scientifically validated industry for the next generation.
That is the cracker that really needs to light up India’s fireworks capital.
(The author is a Former Principal Correspondent, DTNEXT, Madurai & Correspondent, THE HINDU, Thoothukudi – praveenpauljoseph@gmail.com)
