“Sankranthi is all about celebration and fun for us (humans). We see people flying kites and now, there’s a grand kite festival as well. But we forget to think about how the manja affect and kill the birds. Sharp manja is hazardous and once birds get stuck in them, there’s no escape. The poor creatures try hard to get out of it and end up hurting themselves. Some of them die of suffocation in a couple of hours. Just yesterday, I rescued a bird in KBR that was hanging upside down, after being entangled in manja. Some of my friends together started Deccan Birders – a club that meets often for birdwatching, which leads to environmental protection and saving our fauna. Among other types, nylon manja is the worst. The government has also banned Chinese manja. As a group, we understand that banning kites is not the solution. But we need to find alternatives to make sure our habits and practices don’t destroy other creatures. Coexistence is the way forward and the faster we realise this, the better.”

#Birds #BirdRescue #KitesFestival #Environment #Responsibility #DeccanBirders #PETA #Wildlife #Tradition #Hope #Coexistence #Nature #Celebration #Festive #Pongal #Kites #Sankranthi #Hyderabad #HumansofHyderabad