Picture a candle in the open: wind blows, flame flickers, darkness rushes back. A hand goes up to shield it — the flame steadies but the hand blocks the glow. What if something transparent could guard the flame without hiding it? Something that protects yet lets light through. Perhaps a thin piece of horn, a sheet of mica, or a shard of glass held before the flame — suddenly the light survives the wind. Wrap it in metal, add a handle, the flame survives the storm. The hurricane lantern is born: human ingenuity taming fire in a glass cage.
🏮 The Hurricane Lantern - It once stood as a sentinel against the dark, its steady flame resisting wind and storm. Carried through village lanes, railway platforms, and by night watchmen and even in lonely army posts deep in the jungle, it was more than light—it was company, protection, and hope. Today, often replaced by switches and batteries, the hurricane lantern still glows in memory as a symbol of resilience and quiet endurance.
In India, we call it “Lalten / Laal-ten” (लालटेन), a Hindi–Urdu adaptation of the English lantern which comes from Old French lanterne, that itself is from Latin lanterna, whose origin is from Greek lamptēr (“lamp, torch”). Wow! It goes really far back into human life.
In India, the word became part of common speech during colonial times and circled back into English in anglicised form in some contexts. Folk etymology also links it to laal (red), because many old lanterns had a reddish glow when kerosene burned inside them but linguists generally agree it’s just the Indianised pronunciation of lantern.
Over generations, it became the default word in North India for hurricane lamps, regardless of whether they were red-glowing or not. It goes by various names - Hurricane lantern, also known as storm lantern, kerosene lantern, or hurricane lamp.
The Journey - The roots of the hurricane lamp lays in oil lamps of antiquity: clay or metal bowls filled with oil and a wick. Archaeologists have found portable lamps carved from stone in Mesopotamia and bronze travel lamps in ancient Rome — predecessors of today’s lanterns. The only problem our ancestors must have faced is the open flame easily being blown out by wind.
In 18th–19th century Europe, there was development of enclosed glass chimneys for lamps and in 19th century America, the “hurricane lantern” design probably got perfected with a glass globe and metal vents to regulate airflow and protect flame. And the 20th century brought in hurricane lanterns mass-produced with brands like Dietz in the US becoming household names.
It is widely used in Asia and Africa where electricity is scarce especially in colonial outposts and villages. For years it was used by Railways where it became standard equipment at stations and on trains for signaling. The lonely hand holding out the hurricane lantern with red or green coloured glass as a steam engine pulling its coaches behind rushes by through a tiny village station is one of the most remembered nostalgic scene which remember of our childhood days. It is still used in rural homes, disaster relief, and camping today.
We associate this indispensable object with camps, village homes, disaster relief, power cuts, and nostalgic glow. It has a romantic aura in literature. Phrases like carrying the torch, a guiding light, though not specific to hurricane lamps, draw from the same imagery of flame in darkness, under difficult conditions.
I first came across the hurricane lantern in the army as a young Second Lieutenant when I was given a hurricane lantern to brighten up my tent. No electric bulbs for the youngster. That was part of my ragging. In my mind it had been a quaint village relic, but I realised it was a rugged, reliable companion. Its light was steady though dull but it lent a strange comfort when I returned from checking guards on duty late at night. Today it feels almost romantic, more decorative than practical, used in gardens or balconies.
Fun Facts - Have you heard the phrase “Good Man Di Laltaen”. It is a beloved colloquialism rooted in Indian, particularly Punjabi, oral culture? In undivided Punjab, people would affectionately refer to a high-quality lantern by saying “Good Man Di Laltaen”—a playful hybrid of English and Punjabi meaning “A great guys’ lantern.” The phrase became national parlance, especially in military circles, to signify reliability and quality. Over time, it transcended literal usage and became a way to cheer someone on, like giving a pat on the back to a junior officer. It was often paired with formal expressions like “Shabash” for Jawans or Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs).
And here comes the twist. The phrase did originate from a real lantern brand—Goodman’s Lanterns. While Goodman’s Lanterns clearly existed as a recognizable brand, public documentation about the manufacturing company is sparse.
The hurricane lantern is more than a bit of tin and glass with a wick inside. It is a companion that has trudged with humans through long journeys, lonely railway stations and sleepless vigils. It reminds us that light need not always be dazzling; sometimes it is enough that it is steady, stubborn, and close at hand. Perhaps that is why, even in an age of LEDs and solar panels, many of us still keep one tucked away — a small, smoky reassurance that when the world goes dark, we will not be left without a light.
Here is a funny hurricane lantern talking to us humans
“I’m the stubborn little cousin of fire. You tried open flames, but the first puff of wind had a laugh at your expense. So you needed me — to box fire up in glass and metal, give it lungs to breathe, to shelter it without suffocating it and stand guard against the storm. And I did. Through storms, camps, power cuts, and army trenches, I’ve burned on — steady, smoky, always smelling faintly of kerosene. Honestly, I remind you of yourselves: your persistence (or is it your stubbornness) and your jugaad nature, but never letting the light inside you go out.”
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Sources
EnRoute Indian History – Evolution of Home Lighting in India - Context on kerosene lamps replacing traditional oil lamps, and cultural terms like “Dibri Bati”:
Railroadiana Online – Dietz “Vesta” Lanterns - Details on the Vesta brakeman lantern, variations over time, and rationale behind the design:
Wikipedia – Lantern (general use) - Explains lantern uses in railway signaling, naval communications, and even pirate codes
Industrial History of Hong Kong Group – The company’s relocation and production in Hong Kong starting 1956:
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Keywords : hurricane lamp, kerosene lantern, storm light, railway lantern.
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