A little known village in Dharashiv district about 263 kilometres’ away from Pune city – Terkheda – has gained popularity as the ‘Sivakasi of Maharashtra’, and is now home to about 50 manufacturing units (factories) that make firecrackers throughout the year and do business worth around ₹25 crores per annum.
Terkheda has come a long way from 1983 when the first firecracker factory was set up to now, when at least 200 pandals have been put up in the village as they expect a bumper sale of firecrackers this Diwali. With Christmas and New Year close on the heels of Diwali, there is a flurry of activity in the village and workers are busy packing firecrackers into boxes for delivery at numerous locations.
Balaji Gholap, firecracker manufacturer and deputy president of the Terkheda Firecracker Manufacturers’ Association, said, “The first firecracker factory was set up in late 1983 and since then, there has been a substantial increase in firecracker manufacturing units in our village.’’
The first firecracker factory in the village was set up by one Tayab Hussainn Daruwala who named it, ‘Dada Fireworks’. The easy availability of labour and raw material saw Terkheda evolving into what is today known as Maharashtra’s Sivakasi from where firecrackers are sent to various parts of the country.
Samadhan Gholap, owner of one of the firecracker units in Terkheda, said, “We keep our factories closed only for two months after Diwali. During the rest of the year, we continue to manufacture firecrackers on a daily basis…”
{{/usCountry}}Samadhan Gholap, owner of one of the firecracker units in Terkheda, said, “We keep our factories closed only for two months after Diwali. During the rest of the year, we continue to manufacture firecrackers on a daily basis…”
{{/usCountry}}The upshot of this booming firecracker industry is that most of the residents of this 10,000-strong village plus locals from adjoining areas get employment within the village. What’s more, many other related businesses such as printing and transportation are also flourishing in Terkheda. According to Balaji Gholap, at least 2,500 people get direct employment due to the firecracker industry, and many others depend on it indirectly for their livelihood.
Terkheda village Sarpanch Dilip Gholap said, “Because of the firecracker industry, migration from our village to the city is almost nil. The firecracker industry is providing employment not only to our villagers but also locals from neighbouring villages. Recently our Gram Panchayat gave five to seven no-objection certificates so that in the next few months, five to seven more firecracker units can be set up in the village.”
While the factory owners are tight-lipped about the actual sales, some of them revealed that considering the manufacturing capacity of each factory (10,000 firecrackers per day), their turnover ranges roughly between ₹25 and ₹27 crores per year. Most of the manufacturers sell their firecrackers to big dealers in Gujarat, Karnataka and the rest of Maharashtra, who then supply these to various parts of the country. Nearly every kind of firecracker is manufactured in Terkheda however it is most famous for its ‘Laxmi Bomb’, ‘Sutli Bomb’, ‘Saddam Bomb’, ‘Tof’, ‘Multi Color Shots’, ‘Lasani’, ‘Chakri’, and ‘Anar’.
According to the factory owners, they follow all the safety and security-related norms prescribed by the government from time to time. There are fire extinguishers inside the manufacturing units, smoking is not allowed, mobiles are not allowed, and only rubber mats have to be used to avoid friction among others. Also, the manufacturers renew their manufacturing licenses from time to time.
An added advantage of the industry is that the owners help the villagers during difficult times. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Firecracker Manufacturers’ Association distributed Kirana and other essential items to the villagers so that they did not have to step outside their houses.