“It was as if a zillion stars had come upon the sky,” says Harish, a college student about the fireworks on Deepavali night. It’s like a ritual for him to watch the spectacle with his family every year from atop the four-storey terrace he lives in at Palanganatham. “Ours is the tallest house in the lane and neighbours too join us to enjoy the show.”
Even people who don’t fire crackers make it a point to simply gaze at the visual treat of fireworks. “I am afraid of crackers but I don’t miss to watch fireworks. The lights create a magic on the black mantle that the sky is,” says Suguna from Tirunagar. This Deepavali too, a number of residents – families, friends and photographers went around gaping at the jubilant sky.
“One gets lost in the numerous shapes and colours of the fireworks. The little sparkles keep exploding on the dark horizon and it gives a sublime feeling,” describes Adhitya, who treks up the Tirupanrankundram Hill with his friends every Deepavali to catch a bird’s eye view of the city. “Madurai looks dazzling from there – lit up and spread out.”
City-based street photographer Guna Amuthan hasn’t missed to capture the fireworks with his camera for the past five years. He hops across terraces on the Masi streets to get a shot of the Gopurams against the Deepavali sky. “I have made friends with few residents in the area and I climb up their houses. It’s a task to get a frame without the hindrance of mobile towers,” says Guna Amuthan. “Tiruparankundram and Pasumalai hills are vantage points from where one can get a nice view.”
R. Prabhakaran, a street photographer, perched himself above the Albert Victor Bridge to capture the Vaigai during Deepavali. “There’s water in the river and I tried getting the reflection of the fireworks. It was a wonderful experience to see the crackers go up above the still waters. People fired crackers from both the banks of the river,” says Prabhakaran.
“It’s difficult to freeze the exploding sparkles without shakes in the frame. The camera should be put on high shutter speed and placed on a tripod. One can create light paintings with camera techniques. Timing is important. One should be lucky to get a nice shot,” says Fazal Hussain, an architecture photographer, who takes pictures of the fireworks from his house terrace. “I sometimes get onto the tall inns near Periyar Bus stand for a better view. The core town of Madurai, though congested, looks brilliant during Deepavali.”
