Krishna Janmashtami is celebrated with great reverence across the country. The occasion marks the birth of Lord Krishna. The period is celebrated with a unique practice in a region of the Karnataka state, involving a unique instrument called petlu. According to the reports of Local18, the practice takes place in the Malnad region of Karnataka. Going by the customs, petlu is made a day before Janmashtami. It is a traditional type of firecracker which is used as a pistol, states Local18. It is made with the help of a bamboo stick. As per the instructions given, to create the instrument the bamboo is cut and shaped into a flute. Then another bamboo stick is turned into a similar shape as the first, with a handle of the same size. After that, it is filled with jummana kayi, which is a type of pepper seed. The sound it makes is louder than the usual fireworks that are used.
One of the creators of the instrument is 50-year-old Tukaram Hulaswar, who is a resident of Gokarna in Uttar Kannada. He has been a toy maker for the last 14 years, as per Local18. A petlu is priced at Rs 150, while the jummana kayis can be bought for Rs 20. According to Tukaram, they are able to finish a petlu in half an hour and during the festival of Janmashtami, they make over 1000 petlus. They sell it till evening, added the toy maker. The Petlu festival takes place a day after Janmashtami, in Gokarna.
The toy maker demonstrated how a petlu works. He holds it by the handle and uses the attached stick to shove it in the tube, making a firecracker-like sound.
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