Several churches say they will use the money for charitable work, instead.
In the wake of the April 21 fireworks tragedy in Thrissur that left 14 people dead, several prominent churches in Kerala have abandoned plans for fireworks displays that have been a major attraction of their annual festivals.
In Thrissur, a manufacturing unit engaged by a temple to prepare fireworks for the famed fireworks display of the annual Thrissur Pooram witnessed multiple blasts on April 21, leading to deaths and severe injuries. Following the tragedy, the Pooram fireworks spectacle and festivities were abandoned.
In the aftermath of this, the St Joseph’s Church at Pavaratty in Thrissur dropped its three-day fireworks display as a mark of respect towards the workers who died in the tragedy. “The fireworks at the church had been held every year in the last week of April in a grand way. But this time, the church has decided to avoid it completely as a mark of respect towards the deceased,” said a church official.
