Manja (string)

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Abrasive string used in kite fighting

title: "Manja (string)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["kites"] description: "Abrasive string used in kite fighting" topic_path: "general/kites" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manja_(string)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Abrasive string used in kite fighting ::

Manja (or manjha) (IPA: /maːŋdʒʱaː/) is an abrasive string used to fly fighter kites, mainly in South Asian countries. It is made when a cotton string is coated with powdered glass or a similar abrasive. In Chile it is called hilo curado (cured thread).

Composition

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Maanja_making.jpg" caption="Manja strings"] ::

Traditionally, it is made on fine pure cotton thread coated with a mixture of rice glue, tree gums or similar natural ingredients and finely powdered glass, aluminum oxide or zirconia alumina for the abrasive.

A relatively recent introduction, China manja, is based on non biodegradable synthetic fibers.

Safety

Rooftop falling

People often fly the kites from rooftops, which poses risks to their safety.

Kite runners

In some places, kite runners pursue kites to retrieve them without paying attention to the surrounding, causing accidents.

Bystanders injury

Many reports of motorcyclists and others having their throats cut by manja - especially when driving through hanging strings.

Threat to birds

It is also responsible for injuries to birds. A pair of volunteer bird medics in New Delhi care for about 1,000 black kites each year, 90% of which are injured by manja and half of which die.

At the Uttarayan festival, veterinarians had to repeatedly respond to situations where birds had been injured.Sources:

Ban

India

Several attempts were initiated by government and authorities but none seem to be successful.

Pakistan

It was banned in Lahore since 2006.

References

References

  1. Ghai, Rajat. (15 December 2006). "Manja market flying low!". The Times of India.
  2. (2019). "Kite-string injuries: A case series". International Journal of Critical Illness and Injury Science.
  3. (16 January 2004). "Uttarayan cuts short six lives". The Times of India.
  4. Malik, Shahid. (10 June 2003). "Pakistan tackles killer kites". BBC News.
  5. (14 January 2008). "10-year-old boy dies chasing kite". The Times of India.
  6. (14 January 2014). "Kite thread claims girl's life, 73 others injured in Jaipur on Sankranti". [[The Hindu]].
  7. "Two Children Die After Kite String Cut Throats". Sky News.
  8. "India: Two children, man dead after sharp kite strings slit throats". CNN.
  9. (8 March 2017). "Manja kite thread slits 40-yr-old techie throat in Chennai". The New Indian Express.
  10. (10 October 2018). "Throat slit by manja, doctor lay bleeding on Pune road for 20 minutes". Hindustan Times.
  11. (15 January 2019). "3 Dead After Kite Strings Slit Throats In Gujarat's Uttarayan Festival". NDTV.
  12. (6 January 2013). "Chinese manja injures nearly half a dozen birds since January 1". The Times of India.
  13. (7 February 2020). "Meet the Bird Medics of New Delhi". The New York Times.
  14. (2010-01-06). "Banned Chinese manja still on sale". [[The Times of India]].
  15. (2006-03-12). "Pakistan cracks down on lethal 'kite duels'".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

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