Kites and manja
Manja is the coating of glass powder and glue on a kite string, so it can cut through rival strings in a sky fight.
Era: 90s & 2000s
What it was like
The string was stretched out in the sun and the mixture rubbed on by hand, then left to dry. Cut fingers didn't stop anyone.
In Old Dhaka the sky still fills with kites at Shakrain, on the last day of Poush. Chasing a cut kite and shouting 'bhokatta' are still familiar.
Questions
- What is Shakrain?
- Old Dhaka's kite festival on the last day of Poush, in mid-January.