The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : ‘Manja' makers find the going tough

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Tuesday, Dec 28, 2010
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

‘Manja' makers find the going tough

Staff Reporter

Advent of nylon thread and Rae Baraeli manja kills the demand for local varieties

Photo: G. RAMAKRISHNA

Gearing up: ‘Manja' makers get busy for the forthcoming Sankranti festival at Yakutpura. –

HYDERABAD: Sankranti festival is fast approaching and kite lovers are gearing up for the fun. But the usual buzz is found missing at Noor Ahmed's residence at Dabeerpura in the old city.

Over the years, Ahmed's family has been involved in making ‘manja', a special thread made of gum, glass and rice and used in flying kites and entering into duels with other kite flyers. With the advent of nylon thread, popularly known as ‘Tangus' in local lingo and Rae Baraeli manja, there are few takers for locally prepared manja. These Tangus and Rae Baraeli manjas are specially brought from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Mumbai and Delhi and with these varieties coming into demand, local manja makers hardly have orders to take care.

“By the month of November itself traders used to place orders with us demanding different varieties of manjas, but that's history now. We prepare manjas and await their orders and most of the times the stock remains unsold,” says 40-year-old Noor Ahmed, even as he selects the best thread for making manja at his house.

Source of livelihood

There are about 100 families in Dabeerpura and Dhoolpet areas involved in manja making for decades. Manja making had been a major source of livelihood for many families, but not any more here, says Mushtaq Ahmed of Ahmed Kites at Gulzar Houz.

Despite costing higher, most kite flyers prefer Tangus and Baraeli manjas as these varieties last long and are bit stronger than the local manja. This apart, the Tangus variety helps in balancing the kite well, he explains.

Chinese kites

In addition to the Baraeli and Tangus manjas, the market this year is flooded with Chinese kites. Made of rayon like fabric, Chinese kites come in different colours, shapes and sizes. Spiderman, batman, eagle, butterfly shapes, are among plenty of shapes and sizes that these Chinese kites offered in the city market. Depending on the size, cost of these kites range from Rs. 90 to Rs. 180 each, says Nusrathullah Turabi, owner of Turabi Patang House at Hussaini Alam.

“When it comes to kites, Chinese varieties are no match to local varieties. They are meant for fancy flying but local varieties are meant for real enjoyment of kite flying and fighting. Pench dalne ke liye, apna patang hi kaam atey,” says Mr. Turabi, sporting a smile.

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