Enter the fireworks city of Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu and you can smell a familiar mix of sulphur, potassium nitrate, aluminium and carbon — familiar because if you’ve ever burst crackers, say on Diwali or Onam, chances are they were made here. Almost every household used to contribute to India’s festive joy by contributing almost 90 per cent of the fireworks made in the country.

       Before the pandemic, around 300,000 people worked in the industry directly and another 500,000 indirectly. Located 540 kilometres from Chennai, Sivakasi is famous for its fireworks and crackers, ...