Hundreds of youngsters in Mira Bhayandar pledge not to fly kites, sellers witness 50% drop in sales
Bhayandar : The skies used to be dotted with colourful kites navigated by excited youngsters with the manja in their hands. But all that has changed now. Thanks to a positive response to awareness drives highlighting harmful effects of kite flying for the birds, you may not see the Mira-Bhayandar’s skyline dotted with the usual number of kites in the festival of Makar Sankranti this year.
While rise in the cost of kites and inclination of children towards video games rather than stepping outside to fly kites is being blamed for the decline, animal activists are confident that it stems from an increasing awareness of how birds are harmed during the festival.
“Interest towards the humble kite flying is clearly decreasing as children are too busy watching television or playing virtual games on computers to bother stepping outside to fly kites. Moreover, space constraints have also led to a decline in interest,” said a kite seller.
While enthusiasts display their kite fighting skills, members of Ahimsa Charitable Trust (ACT), who strive to rescue birds all year long, will hold their annual ‘Save Birds’ campaign on January 14 and 15 at 90 feet road in Bhayandar (West).
Under the initiative, anybody finding an injured bird can call up the helpline number 9821391283, 9821429504, 9820372727, 9821359599, 9221346115 and an ACT volunteer will come rushing to rescue.
“We have been receiving a very positive and enthusiastic response to our awareness campaigns and rallies. Every year hundreds of people especially youngsters pledge their support with us that they will not fly kites and deter others from doing so since it can spell doom for birds that lose their lives or become permanently disabled after getting entangled in razor-sharp glass coated kite strings,” says Kaushal Shah of ACT.
With just 2 days to go, kite dealers who have been complaining that there has been a drastic drop in sales, at least so far, are now desperately banking on the festival day on Friday and the ensuing weekend for improvement in their dwindling sales.
