Sharing one order between three families
How neighbours and relatives in one building split a single order, the minimum and the transport charge.
Are low-noise crackers just weaker crackers?
Quiet does not mean dull. What makes an item low-noise, and why it often looks better in the dark.
Some parents worry that a low-noise list means a dull Deepavali, and that the children will be disappointed. It is a fair question, and the answer lies in how crackers make noise in the first place.
Noise comes mostly from a sealed charge bursting all at once. Light, colour and sparkle come from a slower burn of metal powders and colour compounds, which push out a steady stream of sparks instead of exploding. A flower pot, a chakkar or a sparkler is built to burn, not to burst, so it can be quiet and still very bright. A colour flower pot of ours throws lilac and silver sparks for 25 seconds; a loud bomb is over in a fraction of one.
In practice, children watch light far longer than they listen to bangs. In our backyard tests, our daughters lose interest in a loud item after the first one, but ask for flower pots again and again. Crackling items, like our colour koti, add a soft sizzling sound that children enjoy without covering their ears.
Low-noise does not mean no risk, though. A flower pot still sends sparks up to 3 m, and a chakkar still spins fast at ground level. Light them with the same care as any other item, keep children three steps back, and have the water bucket ready. Quiet crackers simply let babies sleep, pets stay calm and grandparents enjoy the evening on the steps.
