Fireworks

It was a windy, cold weather forecast for that day in Chicago. Beating all the weather blues, there were thousands of people gathered in this area. Damn the cold...You don't get to see this quite often! My friends in Chicago already made us well prepared to be there 2 hrs before the actual show so that we are in the vantage position to see the show! Here it started, "Woww...What an amazing sight!!! this is the sight to see " screamed my friend,Standing on the Navy pier in Chicago, looking at the fireworks display for the Independence day celebrations ...!!! I too have to admit that it was espléndido!!! One could not have imagined the beauty of the display! The creativity was at its best . When everyone was trying to capture the moments for them to savor it later, my thoughts started wandering towards my motherland! "This is the beauty of the mind, isnt it?, you can be in two different places at the same time ..!

The fireworks that you see are mostly made in China or in India. I actually hail from a place which is pretty close to the hub of manufacturing these esplendido fireworks , "Sivakasi". At least once in a year, you hear news about some factory blasts due to the mishandling of these so called "gun powders" ending up in huge losses of lives of all ages.

Do you know its very risky to produce these fireworks?

Do you know there are lots of children work all through the day so that you get to enjoy these visual display of colors?

Do you know that these are produced in very primitive factories where they dont even have basic amenities?

I completely agree, there are few big companies that are doing it better and avoiding child labors trying to be compliant oriented, but then still majority of these manufacturers are still not up to the mark of world standards ?

For us to enjoy the twenty minutes of fireworks , across the globe, there is actually a child which is losing its twenty years of his /her childhood ?? Imagine the amount of fireworks that goes across the globe during the new year? Next time, when you see those beautiful colors lighting up the sky, try to imagine a child's face in the center of it! That imaginary child figure can look more brighter if he/she had got the education that they deserve!

This is just not it! the black powder, Barium Nitrate, that is used for the fireworks/blasts is certainly NOT healthy! People working on these factories are actually not aware of how much the problems that it can pose to continuous exposure of these chemicals. Think about these people who are suffering to make this work for you...to give a splendid treat to your eyes...!

All the more, I am not going to talk about the environmental health hazards that these fireworks bring in ! visit http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/toxicfireworks.htm these sites will help you know more about it.

Good news is that, there are few companies that started making environment friendly fireworks, but then it is not even 10% of the total consumption. These environment friendly fireworks are too expensive to be sold on a regular basis.

I am not asking you to stop enjoying the fireworks right away! but reduce it. if any of your friend is spending more on fireworks, educate him on what it is all about. Help the needy in a different way, sponsor a child for his/her education.

Boooooooommmmm.. that big blast helped me to come back to reality... Navy pier...here they are ..still enjoying the beauty of the fireworks...! I started to walk towards my friend to share my thoughts on this fireworks. Let me try to change..."the change that I wish to see in this world.!!!"

It all starts from me .....I started...How about you???!!!!???!!

Say no to "Child Labor" !!!! Protest it with Vigor!