As the countdown begins for the Makar Sankranti begins, markets are buzzing with a variety of kites. In the aerial battleground of kite-flying, Indian manja and Chinese threads vie for supremacy, sparking debates on safety, craftsmanship, and cultural implications. Though Chinese manja has been banned from the market, Indian manja sellers state that it is still in high demand over Indian manja.

An Indian manja manufacturer Indra Singh speaking to ANI, said, “We make Manja. Earlier, we used to start making this before six months. Now, we just started fifteen days. We do the work based on the demand. We sell both wholesale and retail. We have seller sales compared to previous years. The people are more interested in buying Chinese manja.”

A commoner named Arjun Singh said, “The Chinese manja is very dangerous. Though the government has banned the Chinese manja, it is still in demand.”