Home Travel and Events Flower Pot Fireworks or Tubri Competition at Bagbazar, Chandannagar 2014

Flower Pot Fireworks or Tubri Competition at Bagbazar, Chandannagar 2014

■Travel and Events

by iamsomjit - November 17, 2014

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Every year in the evening of Kali Puja, a Flower Pot Fireworks or Anar or Tubri Competition is held at Bagbazar, Chandannagar, Hooghly, West Bengal. Many competitors from Chandannagar and neighboring area take part in this competition. The show begins usually at 7pm in the evening of the Kali Puja and continues for almost 3 hours.

Each participant submits 3 tubris or flower pot fireworks to the committee. Participants also give unique names to their tubri (flower pot fireworks). Some tubris are named after God or Goddess like Bhole Baba, Jai Maa Kali, Jai Maa Durga, Jai Maa Jagaddhatri, Jai Mahabir, Jai Maa Sitala etc. Some flower pots are named after movies like “Beder Meye Jotsna”. Some funny names like “Sasuri Jamai” (mother-in-law and son-in-law) are also given. Some participants name their tubris after their own name like “Nanda”, “Raja Tosh”, “Shampa”, etc.

Only 2 tubris (flower pot fireworks) of each contestant are set on fire. If any of the first 2 tubris (flower pot fireworks) explodes then the third tubri (flower pot fireworks) is demonstrated. If two tubris (flower pot fireworks) of a participant burst or explode then that contestant is disqualified.

The contestants use a earthen pot to put the chemicals of the Tubri of Flower Pot Fireworks. If the chemical mixtures are not compressed tightly in the earthen pot then there is high chance that Tubri will not be a good one.

The judges consider the height the sparks reaches and the width it covers.

As this was a competition so contestants usually does not share the chemical composition or formula of their Tubri or Flower Pot Fireworks. One can even collect the names of the chemicals used in making a Tubri or Flower Pot but the million dollar secret lies in the percentage in which these chemicals are mixed. Also as these Tubris or Flower Pots are quite big and take considerable time to burn so they heat up too much. There are high chances that the earthen pots may explode due to excessive heating. You also see in the associated video that some of the Tubris or Flower Pots explodes. So, protection must be taken to prevent the explosion of the earthen pots. The techniques used by the participants to prevent their Tubris or Flower Pots from exploding varies. And this is yet another secret they maintain.

We are here proving the basic chemical composition of a Tubri or Flower Pot and the general technique used to protect the earthen pots below.

Basic composition of Tubri or Flower Pot Fireworks is Sora (Potatium Nitrate), Gandhak (Sulphur), Charcoal Dust, Lohachur (Iron Dust).

Due to excessive heat the earthen pots sometimes explode. To protect the earthen pot coating of different materials are applied in layers on the inner wall of the earthen pot.

The first layer is of white sand. White sand is mixed with Fevicol and that mixture is applied on the inner wall of the pot and dried for 1 day in the sunlight.

Next layer is of Mica. Mica dust is mixed with Fevicol and that mixture is applied on the inner wall of the pot and dried for 1 day in the sunlight.