With Uttarayan less than a month away, workers in large numbers from states such as UP and Rajasthan have flocked to the city.
With Uttarayan less than a month away, workers in large numbers from states such as UP and Rajasthan have flocked to the city. Their purpose is to prepare ‘manja’ for kite enthusiasts.
These manja-makers can be seen on the roadsides in Jamalpur, Kalupur, Navrangpura and Amraiwadi. The workers have been coming to the city from different states during this time of the year for the past 15 years.
Shabir Hussain residing with his family in Jamalpur said, “I came to the city three months ago along with eight other family members including my brother, wives and children. A couple of other workers from Lucknow have accompanied us.”
The workers are provided raw material and equipment by the dealers. Traditionally, ‘manja’ is made from cotton thread. Workers from Lucknow have become popular in the city as they are engaged in the job throughout the year.
Unlike in Ahmedabad, kite flying is not restricted to a particular month or season in Lucknow. “Manufacturing of kites and ‘manja’ continues round the year there and many people like us have mastered the art,” says Shabir. Adding that he has a secret formula for a perfect ‘manja’ and it has stood the test of time, Shabir explains, “It’s a mixture of rice, glass, soap and colour. Five kilograms of rice will have about two kilograms of glass.”
In a time-honoured tradition, manjawallahs are using the mixture of constituents: powdered glass, saras, fevicol and chemicals. “We use only threads that have been unspooked clockwise, so that they retain their elasticity,” says Sheikh, a native of Rajasthan, whose family runs a kite shop alongside a hardware store in Kalupur.
In fact, the amount of business the city generates during Uttarayan attracts these workers from UP and Rajasthan. Each family prepares 50 to 250 ‘charkhis’ of kite playing string everyday. The dealer, who provides them the raw material, pays them one rupee for every reel they prepare. The same reel is sold for any amount between Rs50 and Rs250 by the dealers.
“Several people manage to do brisk business during the kite flying season. However, we have enough money to buy raw material and equipment needed to manufacture the thread. We earn just enough money of Rs20,000 and sometimes manage to save a bit,” said a worker accompanying Shabir.
The kites prepared in the city are also supplied to Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and many places in India. The tissue thin paper kites are made for the Gujarat market whereas plastic (synthetic) kites are prepared for Delhi, Punjab and other places.
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