16th October 2015

- The New Indian Express

No More Deities on Fire-crackers?

VIRUDHUNAGAR: Following a petition sent by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Maha Sabha to the district administration seeking a ban on the use the picture of deities in firecrackers, the District Revenue Officer (DRO) has sent a circular to the members of the fire-cracker manufacturers association in that connection.

On September 29, the State president of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Maha Sabha K Rajasekar sent the petition to the Virudhunagar District Collector V Rajaraman, urging the officials to ban the use of picture of deities such as Lakshmi, Ganesh, Saraswathi on the fire-crackers.

The fire-cracker manufacturers in Sivakasi tend to use the picture of deities. After people burst such fire-crackers, the picture of the deities lies on the ground and people tend to stamp it.

Following the petition, the DRO sent the circular to the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association (TANFAMA) and to the Small Fireworks Association urging them to avoid picture of deities in the fire-crackers.

However, the circular sent by the district administration has evoked a mixed response from the fire-cracker manufacturers.

Commenting on the issue, the president of Small Fireworks Association G Vinayaga Moorthy said, “Considering the circular sent by the district administration, we are planning to not use the picture of the deities in the future.” TANFAMA president G Abiruben explained that the industry has been using the pictures of the deities in the fire-cracker labels since 1924. He explained that there is a Supreme Court ruling that the picture of the deities should not be used by anyone. “We are no way affecting the sentiments of the people, we will continue to follow the rule,” he said.