A safer Kali Pujo night

Kali Pujo falls on a new moon night, so the dark makes everything look brighter and closer than it is. Plan the space before it gets dark.

Choose one adult to light everything, and give them a long agarbatti rather than a matchbox. Everyone else stands back. Wear cotton, tie up dupattas and sarees, and keep a bucket of water and one of sand within reach.

Light one item at a time. If a tubri or a sky shot does not go off, wait 15 minutes, then pour water on it. Never lean over it, shake it or try to relight it.

Rockets and sky shots go only from an open roof or field with nothing overhead, never from a balcony or a window. Children hold only sparklers, with an adult beside them. Follow the hours West Bengal announces for Kali Pujo and Diwali each year, and keep pets indoors with the windows shut.