Diwali 2026 — order early for guaranteed dispatch
Diwali 2026 — order early for guaranteed dispatch
Safety
Almost every Diwali injury comes from a handful of avoidable things: going back to a dud, holding one, or letting a child hold a sparkler unwatched. Five minutes here is worth more than any amount of care on the night.
Light in the open
An open yard, a terrace or a street with room overhead. Nothing under a balcony, a tree, an awning or overhead cables.
One at a time
Light a single item, step well back, and wait for it to finish before touching anything else. Most injuries happen to somebody holding the next one.
Keep water to hand
A filled bucket and a running tap nearby. It puts out a spill, and it is where a burn goes first.
An adult on every child
Not an adult supervising the group — one adult watching one child. Sparklers reach a temperature that will mark skin instantly.
Store cool, dry and shut
A closed box, away from the kitchen, the water heater, sunlight and any flame. Never in a bedroom or on the way out of the house.
Tie hair back, wear cotton
Cotton smoulders. Synthetics melt onto skin, which turns a small burn into a serious one. Shoes, not sandals.
Never relight a dud
If it does not go, leave it alone for at least half an hour, then soak it in water. Going back to it is the single most common way people lose fingers.
Never hold one in your hand
Not to light it, not to throw it. Fuse timings vary between items and between batches.
Never in a pocket
Friction and body heat are enough. Carry them in the box they came in.
Never in glass or metal
Nothing that turns a firework into shrapnel — no bottles, tins or pipes as launchers.
Never near fuel or livestock
Away from vehicles, cylinders, generators and stored fuel. Keep animals indoors; the noise distresses them badly.
Never modify anything
Do not open, combine, extend a fuse or make your own. The mixture is not stable outside its casing.
If someone is burned
Cool running water, 10–20 minutes, straight away. No ice, no butter, no oil, no toothpaste, no ointment. Cover loosely with clean cloth or cling film. Blistering, anything larger than a palm, or any burn to a face, hand or joint — see a doctor the same day. Eyes go to hospital at once: do not rub, do not rinse.
If one does not go off
Leave it. Do not approach it for at least thirty minutes — a smouldering fuse can sit unseen and then catch. After that, pour water over it from a distance, soak it thoroughly, and bin it wet. Never relight, never open, never take it apart to see why.
Hold it under cool running water for at least 10 to 20 minutes — longer than feels necessary. Do not use ice, butter, oil, toothpaste or any ointment. Cover loosely with a clean, non-fluffy cloth or cling film. Anything blistered, larger than a palm, or on a face, hand or joint should be seen by a doctor the same day. An eye injury goes to hospital immediately, without rubbing or rinsing.
Yes. The Supreme Court has restricted bursting to a two-hour window on Diwali night, generally 8pm to 10pm, with separate windows for other festivals, and only permitted types may be sold or used. Local authorities can tighten this further, and the position changes from year to year — check what applies in your district before the day.
Formulations developed by CSIR-NEERI that cut particulate and gaseous emissions relative to conventional ones, usually by removing barium and reducing the amount of oxidiser. They are less polluting, not harmless: every precaution on this page still applies.
Better not to. Fireworks absorb moisture over a year in an Indian monsoon, and damp stock behaves unpredictably — sometimes failing, sometimes delaying. Buy what you will use, and soak anything left over before disposal.
Soak them in a bucket of water overnight, then bag them and put them out with household waste. Never burn the debris, and never put unsoaked items in a bin — a smouldering remnant is enough to start a fire.
Ground-based, low-noise items — flower pots, ground chakkars and fountains — watched at a distance, with an adult lighting every one. Sparklers look harmless and are not: they burn at hundreds of degrees and are a common cause of hand burns in small children.
General guidance, not medical or legal advice. Follow the instructions printed on each pack, and check the rules in force in your district before the day.
