The winged ones will fall and be our fall
Makar Sankranti is perhaps the only pan-India festival which falls on the same date every year. This is not a news per se, but it means that if a problem arrives this time of the year, Sankranti is sure to come between it. Makar Sankranti has always had a tradition of flying kites and eating amazing food with your loved ones. The latter one is still intact and hopefully will be in the future. The problem comes around the second one.
You see, a little something is going around with the name of bird flu this time of the year and kites had historically been the worst enemies of birds. And with the history of mass death of birds on 14th January, bird flu is going to be a major grievance in the days to come. The world saw the horrors of another critter with the advent of the coronavirus and the horrors of an infected bat. Now imagine a world where countless infected birds fall to their death infected with the flu and other diseases that humans have no idea even exist.
A 2015 article in The Guardian identifies the gravity of the situation in just the city of Ahmedabad:
The Jivdaya Charitable Trust (JCT), an animal welfare NGO, attended to 2,394 injured birds in Ahmedabad, the heartland of the kite flying festival, in the Indian state of Gujarat around this time last year. Of these, 490 died.
If the data can be extrapolated to 2021, then this is a recipe for disaster and another potential outbreak waiting to happen. Wild creatures have historically been prone to unknown diseases and if a bird with a human-infecting disease falls, which is probable, a new set of problems is upon us.
Enough pessimism then, what should be our plan of action with this problem.
For starters, one can comply with the government’s guidelines on how there should be limited people on the terraces of buildings. Limited people mean limited accidents and lower risks for a problem.
If you are going to fly kites, however, do so with softer threads and not glass-laced manjhas. Manjhas have historically been dangerous to birds and humans alike and their accidents are all but decreasing.
Third, make sure if you come across any fallen critter, don’t go near it and do not touch it at any cost.
Fourth, why not stay at home and gulp on some tasty snacks with your family. Fly wireless kites (!) and binge on your favourite series.
Team Rakt wishes everyone, human and non-human a safe, prosperous and healthy Makar Sankranti. May the advent of spring bring unforeseen happiness in your life.
