Count, burn time and noise: decoding the label
Count, burn time and noise: what the small print on the box tells you.
A Deepavali safety checklist for families
Ten minutes of preparation that makes the evening easy.
Deepavali evenings go best when the grown-ups prepare before the first sparkler is lit. Here is the checklist we use at home with our own daughters.
Dress children in cotton, not synthetic or loose silk, and tie back long hair and dupattas. Keep a bucket of water and a bucket of sand near the door. Choose an open spot away from parked bikes, dry leaves and the gas cylinder. Light crackers with a long agarbatti or a diya on a stand, never with a matchbox held close.
Give each child one item at a time, with an adult next to them. Sparklers are held at arm’s length and pointed away from faces; finished wires go straight into the water bucket. Ground items like chakkars and flower pots are lit by an adult, who steps back at least three steps.
If something does not light, leave it. Never go back to relight a dud; wait fifteen minutes, then pour water over it. Keep pets indoors with the television on. And follow the permitted hours in your area, so neighbours, older people and animals can rest.
