Origin & Growth of Fireworks Industries

Origin and Growth of Fireworks in Nation other than India

                   Fire works Industry remains perhaps the most visible examples of pyrotechniques and also remains as major user of black powder and gunpowder. Pyrotechnics of fire has existed for many thousands years originating most likely in China or India. With the help of the gunpowder, the Chinese had developed rockets by the 10th century.

            Gunpowder ingredients and manufacturing were described by Roger in the following manner by about 1255 A.D."This powder is enclosed in an instrument of parchment the size of man's finger, and since this can make noise that is seriously distresses the ears of man, especially if one is unaware and the terrible flash is also very alarming. So gunpowder force was the earliest known explosive".

        Some authorities believe that the fireworks mixture has its origin in India and this knowledge spread through out the east. Chinese are the first to make rockets. They used bamboo sticks for regulating the direction of the missile. This laid foundation for the development of fireworks as known today.

        The fireworks spread through the Arab countries to Europe. In Russia, Gunpowder was produced in the 15th century. It was reported that 200 canons were found in their army in the year 1563.

        According to available evidences, fireworks were first made in Italy by the lorentines.The Italians have made tremendous amount of development work in the field of fireworks displays. The early 17th century fireworks manufacture was started in Spain, France and Germany. The Italians held their supremacy until the beginning of the 18th century, when further development was done by the French.  

            Fireworks were used for celebration and entertainment in Russia in 17th century. The discovery of possibility of saltpeter as an aid to the combustion somewhere in Asia led to the gradual development of pyrotechnic mixtures. Then the knowledge in course of time, spread to Europe, where early in the 14th century, the Monk Berthihold Schwrzo, invented the gun, adopting a pyrotechnic mixture to prepare bullets.

       In the earlier periods, the fireworks and fireworks composition were made for military purpose not for entertainments. Gradually civilization gave way for application of  such fireworks, to civilian entertainments too.

Origin & Growth of Fireworks in India

              India was the most likely first inventor of gunpowder and a favorite theory says that someone built a fire on top naturally mined nitrates and sulphur deposits in North India. In 18th century a real new effect to produce spark by addition of iron powder of mixture of gunpowder known as Chinese, fire was used in the manufacture of flowerpot on earth pot in India.

         The use of electricity led to the manufacture of magnesium and aluminium metals by electrolysis in the later part of the 19th century. With the help of this powder bright white sparks and white light was produced  in the pyrotechnic mixture.      

      With the help of metal salts like Strontium, Barium and Copper compounds different coloured flames were produced in the 19^th century. Modern pyrotechnic industry has developed much safer colour compositions with the help of synthetic resin i.e. polyvinyl chloride.                    

Development of Fireworks in Virudhunagar District

             Homemade  fireworks had its origin at Bengal in India. Names of some fireworks items such as Bengal illumination and Bengal light (colour match) go to signify the place of their origin.

   In 1922, two pioneers namely Shree. P. Ayya Nadar and  Shree. A. Shanmuga Nadar went to Calcutta to take training in match industry and homemade fireworks. They spent six months in Calcutta. They took training from Shri Satish ChandraDasgupta Of Bengal.

                  On their return, they started first Semi-mechanized  Factory and they Switched over to hand made match factory. The success of the hand made safety matches Led to the making of  Bengal light known as colour matches a cousin of the safety matches. This eventually led to the making of sparklers and other fireworks items.

                   They also established first Industrial  fireworks  factory jointly at Sivakasi in the year 1923.  In India ,the manufacturing  centre is the Virudhunagar District at Sivakasi region, which always maintain a suitable  climatic condition for the manufactures  of fireworks. This industry has slowly spread  in the neighboring States, but bulks of the country's  production is made in the  Sivakasi centre only. In the year 1923 only one or two  primitive huts where in gunpowder  rockets and “Adivedis” were made here for temple  festivals and  marriage  ceremonies.

                        Gradual reduction and  total ban on imports helped the  indigenous Fireworks industry to adopt and make all the items  better than the  imported ones including  the famous  Chinese Crackers. After independence  import of fireworks and  fire Crackers into India, was restricted  and finally banned.

                          Until 1958, the industry could not highlight itself because, it  was dependent  on Imports for its raw material such as potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, pyroaluminium powder,  and magnesium powder  and other needed  materials. By 1970,  almost all these  raw materials including some items like tissue  and  fancy papers were  indigenously produced and the  availability of these raw  material in the  proximity  of the producing centre  with  trained and skilled hands of over  20 years experience helped to make variety with quality. Before 1950, Virudhunagar District was predominantly an agrarian one.  Fire  works factories are  rural based and   located in backward villages surrounding Sivakasi in Virudhunagar District.  The rainfall is generally erratic and hence villagers could not entirely depend upon agriculture for their livelihood.  Fire works gives them a real succor, it gives employment opportunity by way of paper tube making, wire cutting, box making, lorry transport , sales and   distribution on a country  wide basis.

                    Today Virudhunagar District  individually at Sivakasi Fire Works  Industries are not only in a  position to meet the entire demand of fireworks of our  country,  but also to sophisticated Foreign markets like United States of America and Japan. The estimate turn over of fireworks industry is about is Rs.500millions per year.

Fireworks – Meaning:

F   -           Fun to all, irrespective of Age, Nationality, Caste, Religion  

                 etc.,

I    -           Indigenous without any part of it foreign.

R   -           Revenue to State and Central Government.

E   -           Employment to thousands of people in this drought prone

                 Backwards area.

W -           Workmanship portraying our traditional Indian Handicraft.

O  -           Overseas Trade earning foreign exchange to our  country.

R   -           Rural uplift and development of the area.

K  -           Kamaraj District’s Industrial Asset, deserving encouragement

                  by both the Governments.

S   -           Sivakasi the most renowned named in Pyrotechnics.

Production Process in Firework Industries

The following items are manufactured in the factory

1. Rocket.

2. Flower pots

3. Chinese crackers

4. Wheel

5. Atom bomb

6. Sparklers

7. Maroons

And also quick matches for use in the above fireworks items.

Manufacture of Gun Powder:

                     Saltpeter, Charcoal, Sulphur grinded form of 60 to 70 mesh size are brought to mixing room from ingredient shed, and mixed by hand in the gun powder mixing room and then sieved the mixed materials 5 to 6 time to make a homogeneous mixture with 60 to 80 mesh. If necessary, compounding of gun powder in wooden vessels moistened with water is done for sometime, granulated and dried. The said mixture will be used for making rockets and quick matches.

Manufacture of Quick Matches:

            The above said gunpowder is mixed with dextrin in mixing room and the mixture is moistened with water. Then, it is taken to dipping room. Different threads are dipped in the above solution and the dipped threads are dried in the same room by hanging. Then the said thread is cut into 18” size and wrapped with a white tissue paper in fuse making room. Finally it is coated with flours of gun powder and dried. Now, it is ready for use as fuse.

Making Rocket:

                 One side choked rocket tubes are brought from outside. The said tube is filled with gun powder with the help of spindles, drift and hammer (wooden). All the above tools are made of brass and / or wood. The said rocket tubes after drying are fitted with fuse through the choked side. Then it is fitted with straw sticks. Upper portion of the tube is filled with colour tablets or sound shell. Then it is labeled and pocketed.

White Powder Mixing:

            Pyrotechnical grade aluminium powder, barium nitrate, saltpeter, sulphur are mixed in proportion of 3: 1: 8: 4 in the white powder mixing room by hand over rubber mat on the floor of the mixing shed. The mixture is sieved for 5 times to make a homogeneous mixture. Now, the mixture is ready for filling operation. The said mixture is used for manufacturing Chinese cracker, atom bombs and maroons etc.

Manufacture of Chinese Crackers:

                      Different types of paper tubes in circular aluminium rings each containing 500 to 600 tubes one side closed with mud are brought to the factory. The said rings containing the tubes are brought to the white powder filling room. Then the above white powder mixture is filled into the tubes; the rings carrying the tubes are shaken until all the tubes are full. Then by deft movement of the worker’s hands and wrists, the excess powder in tubes and the portion of the powder in between the tube is emptied quickly. Each of the tube being left partly full of powder with enough empty space at the top for fuse are plugged by clay. Then the above said rings filled with chemicals are brought to a manufacturing shed. Then the topside of rings are plugged with clay. Again the holes corresponding to the tubes are punched by means of non-ferrous sticks or nails. Then  this is dried. Fuse, cut to length are put in each of the tube with the help of gunpowder and gum solution. Then this is dried, the crackers fitted with fuse removed from the tube. Then crackers braided with thread with each other. Then it is wrapped and labeled.

Manufacture of Maroons:

3” paper tubes held in aluminium rings containing about 500 numbers are filed with white powder composition in a similar manner stated in the manufacture of Chinese crackers. After fitting with fuse each tube is rolled with 4 to 6 pieces of paper 4” long and then each tube labeled with factory symbols. Five pieces of said crackers are packed with cellophane paper. One side of pocket will have company label. They will have warning label or slips on the other side.

Manufacture of Flower Pot:

                        Usually Flower Pots are manufactured in paper cone tube. The white powder composition are mixed in a proportion as follows:

            Barium Nitrate: 5 Kgs;

            Saltpeter: 1 ½  Kgs

            Aluminium Chips: 4 Kgs

            Aluminium powder: 3 Kgs.

           The above chemicals are mixed in similar manner stated in the mixing of the white powder.  The paper cones of different sizes are fitted with fuse in the mouth. Then from the other side, white powder composition is filled. Then two paper discs are placed over the chemical. They are then covered with gum, dried, labeled and packed.