Representational image: Modified. Talukdar David/Shutterstock.com
S. Rathinam (39) had escaped death by a whisker that afternoon
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On February 13, 2021
she, along with hundreds of others, had to run for their lives when a blast rocked the fireworks unit where they worked in Achankulam village, near Sivakasi in Virudhunagar district of southern Tamil Nadu
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Up to 26 people, mostly women, were killed and several injured in the explosion
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"Everything happened in a flash," recalled Rathinam
But as a worker in a fireworks unit in the Sivakasi region, this is not the first time she has seen death at such close quarters. It may not even be the last
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With the state readying for Assembly elections on April 6,
the incident features regularly in campaign speeches. However, no one, not even politicians, acknowledge a salient feature of these tragedies—the worst-affected are poorly-paid women workers like Rathinam...
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...who form the backbone of the fireworks industry