Made in China Diwali – How Safe are Chinese Diwali Crackers and Decorations?

Today, Diwali decorations in cities and towns in India are more Chinese than Indian. In 2010, it is Chinese crackers that are capturing the Diwali market in India. So how safe is this cheap Made in China Diwali. Is flooding Indian market with cheap crackers and decorations part of a larger Chinese design? – 1) slowly destroy the health of children and young generation of India. 2) Destroy the traditional Indian cottage industries of India and cause economic imbalance in rural India and finally a civil war (read Naxalism.)

Mid-day reports

A study by Delhi-based NGO Centre for Science and Environment found that over 45 per cent of the Chinese toys samples exceeded internationally accepted safe limits for phthalates- a family of chemicals that can cause serious health disorders such as asthma, skeletal defects, damage male reproductive system and impair lungs of children besides causing allergies if exposed to beyond safe levels.

Traditional Indian lampshades, a symbol of festivity in every house during Diwali, have been replaced by Chinese ones. Now it is time for crackers. Cheap Chinese crackers have flooded Indian markets. Indians are happily buying them as they are dirt cheap compared to the Indian crackers.

It is said that Chinese manufacturers sent experts well in advance to study about Indian festivals and the current market trend. They study the Indian products in the market and find out their limitations. Then they produce products in bulk that are attractive to the eyes using harmful chemicals. They might lack in quality but this is made up by the cheap price tag. Thus we have Chinese made Ganesh idol which is far attractive than the Indian clay Ganesh idol. An average Indian will opt for the Chinese Ganesh idol because it is far attractive.

So are we paying for our own destruction?