[MiSiMa]

I was on a ride from Bhubaneswar to Varanasi between 13-14th Jan and was very scared of this exact Manja problem. Anything remotely resembling kite flying motion made me slow down and scan for any type of string floating in the air. Fortunately the highways were mostly devoid of such actually but as soon as I entered the city, I saw a uncle getting entangled around his chest in a manja.
This really needs to be stopped.

Regards,
MiSiMa

[RaceHorse]

Last week while on highway a family who are in a new Kia Sonet travelling with their kid peering out of sunroof and they are at good speed overtaking the cars,
When I witnessed this, I drove parallel to them and gestured to the driver that a sudden break could hurt the kid or she might be thrown out.

He initially didn't like it but I noticed that the kid was back to the seat after a moment.

[RGK]

I was riding my bike on the Valluvar Kottam High Road two decades back, When the manja thread struck me in the lower part of chest (was wearing a full sleeve shirt), I managed to escape. Fortunately, my daughter was positioned between my wife and I. Went right away to the neighbourhood police station and informed them of the situation, asking them to patrol the area and issue warnings to the locals.

I haven't been a huge fan of this sunroof option since day one for whatever reason. This works best in colder climates where sunlight has a less impact. In India, hill stations can employ this. This incident serves as a further reminder that we put safety last.

[JReacher13]

For all saying Manja is the problem, it's not the only problem. At that speed, any moderately strong thread can cause serious injuries. Heck, I cut my hand flying a kite with polished cotton thread this weekend.

Sole blame lies with the adults who are (sorry to say) total Idiots to put their kids in danger for a temporary show-off.

[doxinboy]

I am very angry at these morons who let their kids die. I really wish mobs would gather and beat the crap of out the dad's if they ever see a kid peering through the death hole.

As they say you need to smack the donkey in the butt to make it move.

[WorkingGuru]

Agreed, peering out of the sunroof is downright stupid. At the same time, are we paying attention just because it happened to someone in a car ?

Manja cuts affect 2 wheeler riders more than anyone. It kills hundreds of birds. The sport itself can be fairly dangerous. I've heard of people falling-off of their rooftops while trying to fly kites.

En-masse kite flying within cities should be very strictly banned. If Govt can do lockdowns for COVID, how is this forgiveable !? At what point of lethality does an activity actually deserve to be criminalised ?

A massive social outreach program should be created to weed out anyone who doesn't understand it's issues.

Civil society should protest with unique styles, like having a day wherein we claim its our tradition to throw banana peals on busy footpaths. Unfortunately Greenpeace and PeTA don't protest for things that actually matter.

[alphamike_1612]

Originally Posted by RGK

I was riding my bike on the Valluvar Kottam High Road two decades back, When the manja thread struck me in the lower part of chest (was wearing a full sleeve shirt), I managed to escape. Fortunately, my daughter was positioned between my wife and I. Went right away to the neighbourhood police station and informed them of the situation, asking them to patrol the area and issue warnings to the locals.

I don't know the why/how, but Chennai no longer seems to be under the threat of Manja. I remember flying kites when I was a child and my father telling me to use only cotton thread and that Manja was dangerous. I also remember reading news snippets as I grew up of 2 wheeler riders getting stuck/killed by Manja, however as an adult over the last 4-5 years I've rarely seen such a news article in regards to Chennai. (I also rarely see kites, so there's that)
Wonder if the same can be implemented pan India.

[srini1785]

Growing up in Chennai, Kite flying was one of my favorite activity. There were areas which specialized in this hobby like Vannarapettai, Salt Quarters and in general North Chennai areas. In its hey days, when you look up the sky, it would be dotted completely with kites of all sizes. Those were days when a "Bombay" (another term for quarter sheet) would cost Rs. 5.00. Terms like "Deal", "Ganda", "Sangili", "Bana", "lottai", "Kaal/Arai/Mukkal/Full Sheet " (For non Tamil speakers, in order, it means quater/half/three fourths and full sheet) , "Susthram" were terminologies which still reverberate with me. This in addition to "Manja" . The recipe for a successful Manja dying of a white "nool" (Thread) was a big secret. So you and some of your fellow enthusiasts risk limb and life to gather with an earthen pot, firewood on the terrace. You then pour all ingredients and stir it up on the firewood. When proper mixing is done and the broth is at the right temperature, you dip the white thread and fly the wet thread with a tailed Kite. For those who are aerodynamically inclined, a tailed kite would make no maneuvers in the air unlike a normal one which can be manipulated to move in any direction that you want.

The kite flying populace knew exactly which kite was getting its thread dried out and would not touch it as a mark of good sportsmanship. I remember some ingredients and must admit that some of those ingredients were obtained by some very dubious means (Salt analysis in chemistry lab practicals should ring some old bells). Kite flying in those treacherous days came with it share of thrills and dangers. One particular danger was the issue of the thread and kite getting stuck in transmission cables as an aftermath of an unsuccessful launch effort or a "deal" in low altitude and sometimes those OH bare cables sparked when the thread just would not come loose by pulling on them. I must admit that those sparks inspired me to study electrical engineering.

In spite of all these, the simple joy of holding a thread to a flying object was just too good those days. Only a fighter pilot engaging in a dogfight would know the Adrenalin rush when "deal" starts when you turn into him and he turns into you and what follows is a series of skilled maneuvers which when properly done (i am not going to let you into my secrets) would result in a proper legal cut. An experienced kite flyer would only get into a "Deal" with another experienced flyer and most of these contests involve a bet and then there were the "Pettai Kaathadi" and "Party Kaathadi" both of which were not to be messed around for obvious reasons.


I've heard of stories of people being decapitated by stray Manja but dismissed those stories as just rumors. I was just young. All grown up now, i've realized how stupid and dangerous those days were. I believe part of the problem is the "Imported" Manja threads which are just too strong and would not let itself be cut as they were artificially dried in ovens due to mass production. Now a days hardly anyone in those areas which were known for their kite-ing activities fly kites since there are more adventurous activities and probably since the kites themselves are very expensive or because of police crack down on dangerous Manja. During this sankranthi, I inquired some local shops for a simple Bombay "Gaalipatta" in Bangalore and was shocked to learn that they cost some 150.00. So i guess the enthusiasm just died down.

PS: Some sentences may seem in appropriate mods can delete them if it seems unsuitable.

Originally Posted by alphamike_1612

I don't know the why/how, but Chennai no longer seems to be under the threat of Manja. I remember flying kites when I was a child and my father telling me to use only cotton thread and that Manja was dangerous. I also remember reading news snippets as I grew up of 2 wheeler riders getting stuck/killed by Manja, however as an adult over the last 4-5 years I've rarely seen such a news article in regards to Chennai. (I also rarely see kites, so there's that)
Wonder if the same can be implemented pan India.

[RGK]

Originally Posted by alphamike_1612

I don't know the why/how, but Chennai no longer seems to be under the threat of Manja.

There were three accidents as a result of this in only 2019 alone.