‘Injured Bird’ Attached to a Kite: Part of SRN International School Students Appeal to Jaipur Residents to Consider Birds on Makar Sankranti

A PETA India supporter dressed in a “bloodied” bird costume and tangled in “glass-coated manja” laid on a giant kite that read, “Glass–Coated Strings Cut Birds’ Wings” and “Say No to Deadly Manja!”. The “bird” was joined by students from Jaipur’s SRN International School, who held similar placards of appeal. The action aimed 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.

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 that of 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. 

Sign our petition to get a nationwide ban on the production, storage, sale, and use of all deadly kite strings, including those made from cotton threads coated with glass or other sharp materials. 

Help Stop the Use of Sharp and Deadly Kite Strings