Kite flying is an essential part of many celebrations in India—be it Independence day or Teej, but the use of Chinese manjha (kite string) continues to pose a serious threat despite a nation-wide ban in 2017.
Surender Kumar Jha, 42 years, a native of Bihar, who works as a security guard in Delhi recently sustained extensive injuries in his eyes, despite wearing a helmet.
The Chinese manjha, coated by crushed glass, is capable of far worse. In late 2022, it slit a young man’s throat in Meerut and he bled to death. The sharp strings enhance their ability to cut off the strings of an opponent’s kite- the aim of all kite flying competitions. One of the biggest of these, of an international scale, is held in Gujarat in January.
The Indian manjha, made of cotton, unlike the Chinese version which uses nylon or polyester is a far safer option.
Namita Kumari, consultant, oculoplasty and ocular oncology at Dr Shroff’s Charitable Eye Hospital, New Delhi, who treated Jha said that the string that cut through his eyes had an ‘alarming level of sharpness’.
“It cut through multiple layers of (his) upper and lower eyelid. The resulting injury encompassed the forehead, including the nasal bridge, and the LPS muscle. The injury extended to the globe of the eye, primarily involving a laceration of the conjunctiva and partial thickness scleral tear. Fortunately, he did not have any loss of vision as injuries were limited mainly to the adnexal part, not full thickness penetrating globe injury. He also sustained bruises and abrasion on shin of his due to loss of balance of bike”, said Kumari.
The LPS (levator palpebrae superioris muscle) raises the upper eyelid and maintains its position. The adnexal part excludes the eye and optic nerve due to which Jha was saved from vision loss.
He shared his memory of the accident which occurred on August 5, while on his way to work in old Delhi. Surprised at the amount of blood that was flowing down his face, his immediate thought was ‘Abhi toh main gaya’ (Now, I am gone).
The doctor at the work site cleaned the wounds and bandaged him. The following day was a Sunday and his wife took him to a private clinic where he was once again bandaged and given some vitamins and a tetanus injection. Since he was in too much pain to even be able to speak, on August 7, he was taken to the hospital where a cut was detected in his eye and a surgery performed. The hospital charged him a subsidised amount for it. His eyes continue to be red and the pain though still present is manageable.
On August 10, the Delhi High Court directed the Delhi Police to continue taking steps to restrain the sale of banned Chinese manjha in the national capital during the lead up to the Independence day.
Manjhas are capable of inflicting life-threatening injuries and kill both animals and humans. They can also slice through power lines cutting off supply. Thousands of pigeons, crows, owls, endangered vultures, and other birds are also maimed and killed each year from strings tangled in trees or buildings.
Kumari said that she had recently attended to a case where a manjha-induced cut led to accumulation of blood in the posterior chamber of the eye ball, leading to significant vision loss. In another case the string cut through the skin over the nose, resulting in a complete separation of the skin in that area, like a free flap. Neck and chest injuries are also common and these in turn pose a grave risk to vital structures and can potentially cause severe bleeding and damage to internal organs.
“Kite string injuries happen not only by direct contact of manja but also secondarily by entanglement of thread around the feet of a pedestrians or in handles/ tyres of moving two-wheelers and leading to fall of pedestrians or pillion riders on ground causing fracture of extremities or life threatening head injuries respectively”, she said.
So fly those kites, but not at the risk of other’s safety.
