What's Sankranti without Kites

A Black Kite makes a humble appeal this kite-flying season. Wishing Green Humour readers a happy Sankrant/Pongal/Uttarayan.

From my column with Mid-day.

Kites of India

Every year, Sankrant or the Kite-flying festival celebrated in the month of January in India claims the lives of hundreds of birds. Kites with glass-coated strings (manjas) pose a very serious threat, most often causing fatal injuries on collision. Even if they are not coated with glass particles, kite strings often result in entanglement and related injuries, many of which cause deep wounds, deformities, starvation and death. The problem is even worse in the north-western states where populations of the critically endangered Gyps vultures reside.

So how many of you are flying the Killvus killvus this year?

Kite-flying and birds

Kites have done immense damage to avifauna in India. Bird deaths and injuries commonplace during 'Sankrant' or the kite-flying festival held in January each year. The use of glass-coated 'manjas' or threads used for flying kites has claimed thousands of bird lives. Even though activists have managed to bring down the use of these manjas through campaigns and demonstrations, the ordinary threads too pose a risk of entanglement and death by starvation or injury. In Gujarat, where the festival is the most popular, the already endangered Gyps vultures face a grave threat from kite-flying and urgent impositions need to be made if the skies are to be made secure for our feathered friends.

Another one on the harmful effects of kites on avifauna

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