This day marks the onset of a new harvest season and is celebrated in northern India as Sankranti, in Tamil Nadu as Pongal and so on. Makara Sankranti will bring you fond childhood memories of flying kites and “til ka laddoos” made at home, but the massive number of injuries caused by our “manja” kites every year tends to go unnoticed. This number includes kite-flyers, passersby, commuters and birds.
The following basic safety tips will ensure that your joyful celebration does not become a hazard to the lives of others.
1) Avoid flying kites before 9am or after 5pm: This is when birds are out searching for food or are on their way back to their nests. This is also the time people commute to their workplace or travel back home.
2) Do NOT use Kites with a glass-coating: Glass “manja” is a bird’s worst enemy. It can cause fractures, wing cuts and nerve injuries to birds and is capable of severely wounding people, in some cases even taking lives. A kite-flyer must only use threads without a “manja” coating.
3) Keep a local animal welfare association’s number handy: In case you spot an injured bird, call a local animal welfare association for help IMMEDIATELY. Till they arrive, place the bird in a dry, warm cardboard box with a few tiny holes for ventilation.
4) Kite Fliers, your safety comes first!: Have fun this Sankranti, but with a little caution! Take care of your eyes, skin, hands while flying a kite. Cover up your body and avoid standing in narrow lanes or near terrace edges.
5) Drive slow & wear a helmet/neck protector: Go slow while driving a bike on the city roads. This might also give you enough time to slow down your vehicle if you find a kite-flyer rushing across a busy street to catch a kite. Make sure to wear a helmet, muffler or neck protector to avoid injuries from kite threads.
Have a safe & wonderful Sankranti!
