‘Let not kites harm voiceless creatures’
SPREADING THE WORD 1,000 students join drive against deadly foreign manjha
NEW DELHI: Once again, it’s that time of the year when the heavy monsoon clouds recede, giving way to azure sky punctuated with a wide range of kites in multiple colours. Seen against the background of the wide, blue sky, this splash of colours brings to one’s mind the image of these ‘special buntings’ to celebrate our Independence Day.
Sometimes, the usually happy kite-flying season, that is an integral part of the nation’s Independence Day celebrations, tends to turn hazardous, even fatal. The reason for this is not far to seek: i.e., the widespread use of metal- coated Chinese plastic kite string or manjha that poses great danger not only to people flying the kites, but also to birds, animals, children as well as grown-ups who are not even involved in this activity.
Keeping this in mind, over 1,000 school students participated in an oath ceremony that was aimed at make youngsters as well as people from all walks of life aware about the hazards linked to the use of Chinese manjha and to spread knowledge about the ways in which thousands of birds can be helped to overcome this menace.
The event was organised recently in coordination with the Animal Welfare Board on India (AWBI). Yogender Kumar, honorary animal welfare officer with AWBI, and seven colleagues — BK Pandey, Gurucharan Singh, Indrajeet Soni, Kuldeep More, Sunil Kumar, KK Mishra and Balbir Singh — have saved over 800 birds and animals.
The students of around five schools gathered at the Govt Boys Senior Secondary School (GBSSS), Tagore Garden, took an oath and organised a rally in the adjoining areas. The event also included an essay and quiz competitions in which winners were awarded with a trophy and certificates.
The schools which participated in the programme were Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya (SBV), Rajouri Garden; SBV No 1 Chand Nagar; SBV Ramesh Nagar; GBSSS, Tagore Garden and GBSSS, Raghubir Nagar.
Anurodh Kumar, a Class 7 student of GBSSS, Tagore Garden, said, “the Chinese thread is very harmful for humans and birds and I request people to avoid flying kites and to celebrate this occasion in other meaningful ways.
“Flying kites on Independence Day is an enduring tradition in our country. Earlier, kite-fliers used cotton thread manja, unlike Chinese manjha. The latter is fatal due to its high tensile strength. It’s not just humans beings, but thousands of birds too die or are injured due to the use of manjha. Therefore, this should be totally banned,” said Pravin, a Class 12 student of the same school.
Another Class 11 student of the same school, Manav Kumar said, “I don’t fly kites and request people to stop this habit. Our celebration should not harm others.” Ansh, a Class 7 student of SBV, Ramesh Nagar says, “the Chinese manjha, that now dominates the market at the expense of the age-old Indian manjha, is very dangerous both for humans and birds”. He also added that the government should take stern action against those involved in selling the foreign product.
Chirag Soni, a Class 7 student of SBV, Rajouri Garden, said: “Flying kites is an activity that brings together people, history and culture. People should be engaging on all these fronts and a comprehensive effort should be made in order to end the manjha menace.”
The principal of GBSSS, Tagore Garden, Virendra Gaba, said, “I appreciate the AWBI for its efforts, which will bring about a positive change by instilling in students the value of treating all creatures with compassion. Social science teacher Renu Diwakar also appreciated the event, saying, “As an animal lover, I understand the pain of these creatures. Only If this harmful product is totally banned can birds fly freely in the sky.