Save Birds from Kite-String Injuries

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is vibrant during the Kite Flying Festival “Makar Sakranti”. This harvest festival has been celebrated with lots of frolic since a very long time with the practice of flying kites and bursting crackers. The fun activities have taken a huge toil on the lives of our feathered friends as they get entangled, mutilated or entrapped in the grip of “Chinese manjha”. Many birds, both local and migratory fall prey to this menace of kite flying.

WTI along with a local NGO named Raksha initiated a RAP to raise awareness among the citizens of Jaipur with a theme called ““Save our Feathered Friends”. The idea was generated that mere rescues will not address the trend of bird mortality until and unless followed up by making the local resident aware of the plight of the birds. Keeping this in mind WTI mobilized the local NGO to initiate awareness campaigns targeting a large group of people at the ground level followed by multi dimensional awareness approaches. The approaches are mentioned in the followed:

A) Educational awareness in schools and colleges in Jaipur:

Primary target was educational institutions (schools and colleges) where video screenings, presentations and live talk shows related to a bird safe Sakranti festival were conducted. The team formed teams called “Special action forces” comprising of selected students. We motivated students to sign a pledge saying they will not fly kites with glass-coated manjha. School/College managements appreciated our efforts and stood shoulder to shoulder with us for other events also. Schools and Colleges were educated and a huge target of over 14000 students was accomplished.

 B) Street Plays

The special action forces formed during the awareness initiatives in schools performed many “nukkad-nataks” (street plays) at strategic locations in Jaipur like Gaurav Tower, Jaipur’s largest Temple-Govind Dev ji Temple, Birla Mandir, City Pulse, Albert Hall, Trident Mall. The signature campaign followed which attracted local residents, shop owners, etc in various parts of the city who strongly participated.

 C) Distribution of outreach material

IEC material in the form of posters, brochures and pamphlets were designed and printed for public circulation. Posters were handed over to religious leaders, school/college principals and shop owners to be displayed at their respective places of work. Pamphlets in Hindi and English were distributed in front of educational institutions, places of worship, corporate office buildings, bus/auto stands and colonies of high density kite-flying areas. A poster depicting the ill effects of kite flying on avifauna and urging general public to observe the time regulations for flying kites and stop use of glass-coated manjha for flying kites was the main tool used.

D) Peace Rally

After approaching various religious leaders to participate in this noble cause, we sent them an invitation letter for the Peace Rally at JLN Marg from St. Xavier•s School to C-scheme, Ajmeri Gate and finally to Albert Hall with students, working professionals and local residents at strategic locations in the city. Father John Ravi, representative of Christian Community in Jaipur, flagged the Peace Rally and Prayed for it•s success. This Peace Rally was initiated by representative of the Jain Community and prominent social worker Mr. Raj Kumar Ajmera. Our rally in the walled city area was amidst heavy traffic and the public watched and appreciated the effort and joined the rally. Thus, this event became a Jaipur City Residents initiative. Students of St. Xavier•s School, St Xavier•s College, University of Rajasthan, The IIS University Maharaja College, Maharani College and SMS School also participated in this rally.

 E) Human Chain Formation

A Human Chain comprising of our filed team, newly formed Special Action Forces and local residents was formed all around Albert Hall where there is maximum presence of birds. A “Patang Utsav” was being promoted nearby and our Human Chain formed a barricade around it to protest silently that we would not allow kite flying in this heavy bird density zone. The chain started from St. Xavier’s School and became longer till it reached Albert Hall. The local Media covered the entire event and many local residents too joined the chain happily to protest against Kite Flying. It was overwhelming to see people from different backgrounds joining hands to stop this menace irrespective of caste or creed.

 F) Silent Candle March

A Candle march with college students at Albert Hall was organized which was covered by the local media. Many students participated in the event and spread the message of a safe Sakranti. Children came forward and observed a moment of complete silence in respect of the dead birds. Parents were touched by this move and came forward to help in this Silent March. The candles were placed dramatically to form a Heart, showing the oneness of the people of Jaipur with our cause.

G) Demonstration with Placards
Demonstrations near high density kite flying zone were organized by students of “Special Action Forces”. Students of various schools took placards and demonstrated at Main roads, Albert Hall and Temples. Around 100 students participated in this event. Some of the placards used for the same are shown here.

 H) Mock Funeral Rally

Float of a dummy dead bird entangled in glass-coated manjha was prepared and used for the mock funeral rally. This mock procession symbolized the extent of suffering that the birds go through as a result of entertainment (kite flying). This method of depicting the plight of our birds was introduced for the very first time in Jaipur. The procession was led by a Student of Ebenezer Academy and followed by other students from Trimurthi Circle to Albert Hall. The event was fully covered by the media and was well appreciated.

The awareness initiative was a precursor to rescue and veterinary camp held by Raksha along with IFAW-WTI, where 377 birds (out of which 78 were migratorybirds) were treated for injuries in a month around Makar Sankranti.

 Media Link

http://wti.org.in/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=1335

YouTube Video Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymXTfRt3XF4

Links:

• Awareness video