The popular kite flying festival of India known as Makar Sankranti is well known across the world due to sighting of colorful paper kites flying high in the sky. Though the festival seems to be a joyous one for humans, it indeed is not such a fun-filled affair for our feathered friends – Birds. Jain volunteers from Mumbai has attached a carriage box on a scooter that resembles a carriage box that is commonly seen on scooters ridden by pizza delivery boys. The box has bee specially designed with a wire mesh down on one side to aid easy ferrying of birds to vets that have been injured due to glass coated kite strings.
Three volunteers namely - Sandeep Shah, Shailesh Chowatia and Harsh Shah, have been using their phones as helpline numbers. Speaking more on the occasion, Sandeep Shah said, “We have tied up with veterinarian doctors to conduct medical camps on a routine basis, particularly during the festival. Our friends and volunteers believe in the Jain philosophy of Jeevdaya (compassion towards living beings). Saving the life of even one bird is an enormous achievement. For this reason we are encouraging people to avoid flying kites. There are fewer open spaces owing to large-scale constructions in the city. Invariably, the glass-coated maanjha tends to wrap itself around trees or apartment buildings and overhead wires. More and more birds that nest here fall prey to this deadly trap.”
In case you come across injured birds during Makar Sankranti, you can reach out volunteers on - Sandeep (98200-38275 or 93225-22008) and Chowatia (86553-70005). Students from Fatima Devi High School, Malad have also joined the cause and have social messages written on over a 1,000 kites. The kites have been put up on display in school. Rajesh Pandya, a teacher at the school said, “We try to make students more aware about society and its problems.”
Source: TOI
