The festival is also a major attraction for the tourists, who don't take a step back when it come to flying kites
Kite flying may be a routine pass time in many states across India. But, for the Gujaratis, madness descends during Uttarayan — January 14. While for the rest of India Uttarayan ends on January 14, for the Gujaratis the inseparable sentiment takes a day more to get disentangled. The Gujjus celebrate January 15 as Vaasi Uttarayan (Stale Uttarayan). The people are so passionate about celebrating the kite festival that even many schools declare a holiday on January 15. The festival is also a major attraction for the tourists, who don't take a step back when it come to flying kites.
WHO ARE THEY
The manja makers come to the state immediately after Diwali and set up their business, many from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. However, Uttarayan gives them an opportunity to make quick cash in a short time.
Most manja makers travel in groups of 5 to 10. Their temporary establishments often sit next to local manja makers and use the traditional method to sharpen the threads. While most of the local makers use an advanced method to make the a fast profit, many use machines to make the threads look more colourful and sell them like hot cakes.
Kite enthusiasts swear by handmade manja, but those who have embraced modern methods say many continue prefer to old ones the the new ones. "Some prefer old-style manja to the newer ones. I make the manja using the new method, but my strings also last for life. Yet, I don't get as many customers as the ones selling the old ones do," rues Vijay Patni, also a part-time fruit-seller.
"During the countdown to Uttarayan, our family gets into manja business. My sister-in-law sells threads and we colour them," he said.
Apart from selling new manja, Patni also sharpens old manja for his customers. "Many customers have leftover manja from the previous year, and bring them to us for sharpening," says Patni. However, this can't be done if the manja is made the old-fashioned way.
He sells a readymade firki (spool) of 1,000 vaar (yard) for Rs 200. But he advises against going for ready-made firkis. "Even if they tell you that it is 1,000 vaar, it rarely is. It is better to get it made . A 2,000 vaar firki costs around Rs500, of which Rs300 is the cost of thread, Rs50 is the cost of the spool and Rs150 is the cost of colouring and sharpening the thread," said Patni.
His way of making manja involves dipping a thread in a mixture of Aloe Vera, broken eggs, fevicol, glass powder and water and then spooling it around a giant wheel. As the thread gets spooled, it is passed through a handkerchief containing glass powder. The Patnis buy discarded glass bottle from scrap dealers and turn them into powder in a pestle and a mortar. While it takes only 15 minutes to get a 1,000 vaar firki ready, the older method took at least 45 minutes.
OTHER EXPENSES TOO
Many manja makers say: "The cops harass us and most often we pay them through firkis. It's a loss, but they let us do our business in peace," said one of the manja makers. The municipal corporation people also fine us. We get a receipt for the fine and, once we have the receipt, they will not harass us," says the manja maker.
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