For Immediate Release:
10 January 2025
Contact:
Atharva Deshmukh; AtharvaD@petaindia.org
Hiraj Laljani; HirajL@petaindia.org
Jaipur – On Friday, a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India supporter dressed in a “bloodied” bird costume and tangled in “glass-coated manja” will lie on a giant kite that reads, “Glass-Coated Strings Cut Birds’ Wings” and “Say No to Deadly Manja!”. The “bird” will be joined by students from SRN International School, who will hold similar placards of appeal. The action aims to spread awareness that nylon manja, as well as cotton threads coated with glass and metal, are responsible for the injury and deaths of thousands of birds, and even of humans, each year and to appeal to the public to reject these materials and fly kites with plain cotton threads only, to ensure that the activity is safe for all.
When: Friday, 10 January, 12 noon sharp
Where: Outside the Albert Hall Museum, Museum Road, Ram Niwas Garden, Ashok Nagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302007
“Manja hurts and kills both humans and birds. Everyone can help prevent these devastating injuries and tragic deaths by choosing plain cotton kite strings,” says PETA India Campaigns Coordinator Atharva Deshmukh. “We urge everyone to say no to Manja to ensure that Makar Sankranti is a happy occasion for all.”
All forms of manja are hazardous to humans, other animals, and the environment. Razor-sharp strings reinforced with glass powder and metal have a disastrous impact on bird populations, including endangered species such as vultures. The birds’ wings and feet are often slashed or even completely severed by manja, and because they frequently manage to hide despite their severe wounds, rescuers can’t help them, and many of them bleed to death.
Manja also results in senseless human deaths. In 2024 alone, numerous fatalities have been recorded across the country, including a 21-year-old man in Maharashtra, four people (including a 4-year-old child) in Gujarat, a man in Madhya Pradesh, and a 12-year-old boy in Rajasthan whose neck was slit open. More injuries and deaths are inevitable yet preventable.
In addition to the severe risks to humans and other animals, Manja poses environmental hazards. Using nylon and glass—and metal-coated kite strings contributes to the growing pollution problem, as these materials can persist in ecosystems for years. Moreover, these strings can cause power failures, affecting up to 10,000 people from just one power line disruption.
In 2024, following an appeal from PETA India, the central government statutory body, the Animal Welfare Board of India, advised all states and union territories to prohibit all manja and permit the use of only plain cotton string for kite-flying. The governments of Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Telangana, and Tripura have issued notifications with similar directions.
PETA India – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAIndia.com or follow PETA India on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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