Chinese guns a huge hit

AHMEDABAD: Over 25 new varieties of firecrackers have hit the Diwali market and people are thronging cracker shops in Raipur and Delhi Darwaza. With the clouds of recession clearing off, people are spending heavily on crackers to welcome the festival with a bang. This year, Chinese guns are a huge hit.
But, as the experts say, these guns are actually made locally and are dubbed Chinese because people often tend to purchase China-made goods assuming they would be less expensive and would give value for money.The guns are, however, dangerous as they contain plastic pellets which are harmful, especially if they hit in the eye. “The pellets are very small, so if they enter the eye they can cause harm. These guns should not be prohibited during the festive season.
Those in the business of crackers said that the guns have gained much popularity among children, but parents are not very happy. “Children find these guns fascinating and insist on buying them,” said Rashmi Patel, mother of a six year old. Patel found it hard to convince her son to buy the conventional Diwali gun that uses small cracker rolls, which are comparatively safer. Apart from the regular sparklers, flower-pots and 555 bombs,which are the all-time faves of people, there are also designer crackers like the Love Bird, Dancing Wheel and Golden Whistle that have hit the market this year. “These designer crackers burst into beautiful stars, flowers and designs and give out different sounds.
They are quite popular but there is a shortage of supply because of a huge demand for such kinds of crackers,” said Karim Sheikh, a cracker shop owner at Delhi Darwaza.