Diwali has turned out to be a bit of a damp squib for firecracker traders, who are complaining about a 50 per cent slump in business this year. They have blamed this drop in sales on the growing number of awareness campaigns against the adverse effects of bursting crackers.

While this may be a loss for the vendors, it is a triumph for activists and citizens who have long been fighting against fireworks and the noise and air pollution they cause. Such ‘go green’ campaigns might, at first, have been just fashionable phrases bandied about at cocktail parties, but they are finally starting to show results.