Deepavali morning in Chennai: planning the early hours
Oil bath, new clothes and the first crackers before breakfast: how families plan the most important morning of the year.
Flower pot, chakkar or koti: choosing ground items
How the three favourite ground items differ in height, spread and noise, and which one suits a narrow street or a courtyard.
Ground items are the backbone of most family Deepavali evenings in Chennai. They sit on the ground, do their work for 10 to 30 seconds and give everyone something to watch together. But the three common types behave quite differently, and the space you have should decide which to buy.
A flower pot is a cone that throws a fountain of sparks straight up. Our big green flower pots reach about 2 m and burn for 20 seconds, and the sparks fall back within a circle of roughly 3 m. They are the easiest choice for an apartment forecourt or a narrow street, because the effect stays in one place. A box of 10 costs ₹360.
A ground chakkar spins on the floor and throws sparks sideways in a ring. It moves a little while spinning, so it needs a flat, hard surface such as a tiled courtyard or a cement driveway, with nothing that can catch, like dry leaves or a doormat, within 4 m. Children love them, but they should watch from a step or a doorway. Our big chakkars are ₹240 for 10.
A colour koti is a bigger, slower fountain that changes colour two or three times as it burns. It is quieter than it looks and makes a good finale for a small gathering. A box of five costs ₹310. If you have a long street, a mix works well. For a small courtyard, choose flower pots and a few kotis, and leave the chakkars for an open ground.
