Colonial rulers also used Kimbulapitiya crackers for state functions:

Call to ban imported fireworks

By Ananda Kannangara

Crackers are generally lit at weddings, parties and other functions. However, no one would believe that crackers are also lit at funerals. I am sure, those who are in Colombo or in the suburban areas would have never witnessed lighting crackers at funerals.

During my recent visit to Imaduwa, Galle in the Southern Province to attend a funeral, I was surprised to see people lighting crackers before the cortège left the residence. Thereafter, they kept on lighting crackers until the remains were taken to the cemetery.

According to a survey, conducted by the Sri Lanka Cracker Manufacturers' Association in Kimbulapitiya, it was revealed that Sri Lankans light millions of rupees worth crackers during election periods which is much more than for religious and social functions.

A prominent cracker manufacturer Nimalsiri Abeyapala of Dalupotha in Divulapitiya said he sold Rs. 1.5 million worth crackers to politicians during the last Provincial Council elections. This shows that politicians light over Rs. 40 to Rs. 50 million worth crackers during elections in the country.

The Association members said that although a few cracker manufacturers operate in several other parts of the country, Kimbulapitiya in the Negombo District and the surrounding areas are the most popular for crackers and other fireworks.

The owner of Suresh Gini Keli, Graching Fernando of Kimbulapitiya said the area is now a household name for crackers and other fireworks. Over 10,000 families in Kimbulapitiya are engaged in cracker manufacturing while about 200,000 people depend on the industry. Crackers are manufactured even by housewives in Kimbulapitiya as self employment projects.

Young school leavers in Kimbulapitiya are engaged in the industry until they find permanent employments.

Numerous varieties of crackers and fireworks are manufactured, namely, sky rockets (sending in the air), shell rockets ( flowing down like waterfalls), colour shots ( various colours releasing along with fire), letter boards , ground wheels (bambara chakra) and wire sparks (nila kuru).

The main chemicals that are used to manufacture crackers and fireworks are potassium nitrate, barium nitrate, aluminium powder, potassium chlorate and sulphuric powder.

In addition, pieces of paper, cotton thread and clay are also used to manufacture fireworks.

There are Government regulations when selling chemicals such as potassium nitrate. This chemical is given to registered manufacturers only from the Government owned State Trading General Corporation under special supervision.

All other chemicals could be purchased at the open market.

A school leaver, Gihan Maduranga, 19, said unlike other traditional industries, cracker manufacturing is a dangerous industry.

He said the lives of cracker manufacturers are always in danger. He related the untimely deaths of some friends due to burn injuries caused following explosions at fireworks factories.

There are over 300 large scale and 500 small scale cracker manufacturing factories in Kimbulapitiya. Some very small factories could also be seen in houses and housewives and children work in the factories. Underaged children are not permitted to work in the factories. Nobody could enter a cracker manufacturing factory carrying lighters or boxes of matches.

The visit made by Sunday Observer staffers to several cracker manufacturing factories in Kimbulapitiya last week was very interesting. Many people know the village Kimbulapitiya by the name of `Rathinna Gammanaya' (Fireworks village). Kimbulapitiya which is located about 30 kilometres from the city of Colombo is also well-known among the foreigners.

He said foreigners who visit the country during the Christmas season visit Kimbulapitiya from the Bandaranaike International Airport.

A leading cracker manufacturer and the owner of `Gazelle Muwa' fireworks factory, in Kimbulapitiya, Dinesh Fernando said over 3500 families in the village are engaged in the industry and about 80 percent of the people depend on it.

Dinesh said that crackers and other fireworks that could be easily manufactured in the country are still imported from China and India. It is the duty of the authorities to stop importing them in order to strengthen the local industry.

He said it is a pity that officials use imported brands even for state sponsored functions and appealed to them to use the locally manufactured crackers to give a helping hand to the people. It will also help to save foreign exchange.

A father of two, Ajith Rohana, 43, of Kondagahamulla said manufacturing crackers is their family business and that he inherited the industry from his father David Mudalali 15 years ago.

"I make only deafening crackers that are used to chase away birds, wild elephants, monkeys and other wild animals who come to destroy cultivations,".

He said the crackers he manufactured are safe and will not cause any injury to animals, the loud explosion would only scare away the animals. Farmers and cultivators from many parts of the country visited his factory frequently, he said.

The owner of Royal Tarzen Crackers, Deshabandu Sepala Ruparatne Fernando said his father P. K. Fernando started the cracker manufacturing business in 1956.

"I took over the business from him in 1982 and I have been engaged in the industry for the past 28 years,".

He said there are 15 employees in his factory and each employee receives a monthly salary of Rs. 20,000 with food and lodging.

A cracker manufacturer Saliya Sirisena said `Surya crackers', `Janahanda crackers', `Royal Tarzan crackers', `Alidon crackers' and `Hanuma crackers' are the oldest cracker manufacturers in Kimbulapitiya and that the most famous Alidon crackers are not manufactured now.

He said there is no difference between the quality of Sri Lankan manufactured crackers and the imported Chinese crackers, but many people buy the imported crackers thinking they are the best quality.

He appealed to the people not to get misled by foreign crackers and called on the authorities to ban the import of crackers as they could be easily manufactured in the country.

Our journey to another village, Katipola cracker village was long and strenuous. The road leading to the village was full of potholes. The thick bushes and wild plants grown on either side of the road reminded me of my recent journey to Radawadunna in Pasyala to meet cane good manufacturers.

The Village Headman, Gunasiri Withana, 67, said Kimbulapitiya crackers and fireworks has a history of over 90 years. Although Sri Lankans learned the art of manufacturing crackers from the Chinese, the local manufacturers at present make high quality crackers. They are even better in quality than the crackers imported from China.

Unfortunately however, many Sri Lankans still prefer the foreign crackers.

He said even British rulers in the colonial era used Kimbulapitiya fireworks for their official functions.

The history of the local cracker industry reveals that a resident of Kimbulapitiya, K.E. Perera who owned the famous `Surya Crackers' had first sold foreign crackers to the people in the area during the 1940s. The crackers were imported from China.

Another manufacturer, Davith Singho, 60, of Kimbulapitiya said a foreign national from Pakistan visited his village with a tour guide four years ago and bought a large quantity of crackers. "But we came to understand that he was caught at the Air Port for smuggling explosives.''

This incident was a good lesson for them and he said cracker sellers should not sell crackers to foreigners unless they used them here.

A fireworks factory owner, Kusumsiri Gamalath, 60, said to promote the traditional industry and protect the manufacturers, crackers should not be imported.

He said he sent a stock of crackers and fireworks to the Maldives a few months ago to be used at an international conference.

He said manufacturing crackers is also carried out in the Kandy and Galle districts and sometimes the manufacturers sent their products to Kimbulapitiya as countrywide traders prefered Kimbulapitiya fireworks.

He said during the seasons, December to January and March to April a cracker manufacturer earns over Rs. 1.2 million due to festivals such as Christmas and New Year.

He said the destruction of cracker manufacturing factories by sudden fire and causing injury and death to workers engaged in the industry is a common feature today and said most Insurance Companies do not like to insure the workers or their properties.

He, therefore, called upon the authorities to look into this matter seriously and take steps to insure the workers and their properties.

He recalled a large fire that destroyed a fireworks factory three years ago.