After Sankranti, watch out for stray kites strung from trees and lamp posts. Designed for competitive kite flying, the strings, traditionally called manja, are coated with an abrasive substance that can cut the opponent’s kite line. Some of these manjas are also made of plastic. However, they also pose a danger to birds animals and humans.
Animal Warriors Conservation Society, a Hyderabad-based rescue group, said they have rescued over 45 birds since the day of Sankranti. The types of birds rescued, apart from pigeons, include Egrets, Green Bee Eaters, a Barn OwlI, bis and Black Kites.
Ganesh Yadav, a security guard at an open plot in Secunderabad untangles manjas from trees and bushes after Sankranti. He weighed everything he collected at the kite shop to sell it, and it was close to two kilograms. Explaining why he does it, Ganesh says, “I see a lot of birds from peacocks to parrots come here for food. When the foot of a human like me can get caught in manja, imagine the plight of birds.”
Manja, especially the ones made from nylon, can also be dangerous to passers by. A morning walker at MMTS Railway station in Khairatabad Ramesh Prasad says his feet got caught in manja. While he made it out safely, he noticed elderly walkers struggling its coils. Ramesh, a government employee at a bank said, “These manja are so fine that one doesn’t notice them. The plastic manjas are transparent so it is not easy to spot them.”
Pardeep Nair of Animal Warriors Conservation Society says, “Last year from an open plot near Gandipet with 50 volunteers we could only clear 1% of the plastic manja. The entire plot was covered with manja carelessly discarded after the festival. Considering the place close to Gandipet and the volume of migratory birds that come, we were very concerned. As a rescue group, we conduct workshops in housing societies and schools on responsible use and dispensing of manja. We also educate people against the use of plastic manja.”
Animal Warriors Conservation Society also collects and recycles plastic manja. They put it to use making art. Pradeep says, “We do string art with plastic manja and have presented at a show (HCL Foundation) in Delhi which won a lot of appreciation.”
Here is what one can do
For animal rescue call +91 9697887888
Published - January 16, 2025 03:20 pm IST
