Manja (string) explained

Manja (or manjha) (IPA: /maːŋdʒʱaː/) is an abrasive string used to fly fighter kites, mainly in South Asian countries. Made when a cotton string is coated with powdered glass or a similar abrasive.

Composition

Traditionally, it is made on fine pure cotton thread coated with a mixture of rice glue, tree gums or similar natural ingredients and finely powdered glass, aluminum oxide or zirconia alumina for the abrasive.[1]

A relatively recent introduction, China manja, is based on non biodegradable synthetic fibers.[2]

Safety

Rooftop falling

People often fly the kites from rooftops, which poses risks to their safety.[3]

Kite runners

In some places, kite runners pursue kites to retrieve them without paying attention to the surrounding, causing accidents.[4] [5]

Bystanders injury

Many reports of motorcyclists and others having their throats cut by manja - especially when driving through hanging strings.[6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Threat to birds

It is also responsible for injuries to birds.[12] A pair of volunteer bird medics in New Delhi care for about 1,000 black kites each year, 90% of which are injured by manja and half of which die.[13]

At the Uttarayan festival, veterinarians had to repeatedly respond to situations where birds had been injured.[14]

Ban

India

Several attempts were initiated by government and authorities but none are seem to be successful.[15]

Pakistan

It was banned in Lahore since 2006.[16]

References

  1. News: Manja market flying low! . 15 December 2006 . Rajat . Ghai . The Times of India . https://web.archive.org/web/20150624194213/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/ahmedabad-times/manja-market-flying-low/articleshow/815018.cms . 24 June 2015 . dead.
  2. Muvalia. Gaurav. Jamshed. Nayer. Sinha. Tej Prakash. Bhoi. Sanjeev. 2019. Kite-string injuries: A case series. International Journal of Critical Illness and Injury Science. 9. 3. 147–150. 10.4103/IJCIIS.IJCIIS_44_19. 2229-5151. 6792401. 31620355 . free .
  3. News: Uttarayan cuts short six lives . 16 January 2004 . The Times of India.
  4. News: Pakistan tackles killer kites . Shahid . Malik . BBC News . Lahore . 10 June 2003.
  5. News: 10-year-old boy dies chasing kite . 14 January 2008 . The Times of India.
  6. News: Kite thread claims girl's life, 73 others injured in Jaipur on Sankranti . . 14 January 2014 .
  7. News: Two Children Die After Kite String Cut Throats. Sky News. en-GB. 17 August 2016.
  8. News: India: Two children, man dead after sharp kite strings slit throats. CNN. en-US. 21 August 2016.
  9. News: Manja kite thread slits 40-yr-old techie throat in Chennai. 8 March 2017. The New Indian Express. 7 May 2017.
  10. News: Throat slit by manja, doctor lay bleeding on Pune road for 20 minutes. 10 October 2018. Hindustan Times. 11 October 2018.
  11. News: 3 Dead After Kite Strings Slit Throats In Gujarat's Uttarayan Festival. 15 January 2019. Press Trust of India. NDTV. 15 January 2019.
  12. News: Chinese manja injures nearly half a dozen birds since January 1 . The Times of India . 6 January 2013 .
  13. News: Whang. Oliver. Meet the Bird Medics of New Delhi. 7 February 2020. The New York Times. 21 February 2020. Khandelwal. Saumya. en-US. 0362-4331.
  14. Sources:
  15. News: 2010-01-06 . Banned Chinese manja still on sale . . 2023-12-07 . 0971-8257.
  16. Web site: 2006-03-12 . Pakistan cracks down on lethal 'kite duels' . 2023-12-08 . The New York Times.

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