HYDERABAD: As Hyderabad is gearing up for its favourite Sankranti festival, stalls being decked up with colourful kites and threads are all set to do brisk business, after a long gap.
Kite sellers expressed confidence that this year sales would be profitable as the state government declared holidays for educational institutions from January 8. Early holidays will give youngsters more time to fly kites, and the sales will soar, they opined.
Gulzar Houz and Dhoolpet, bigger markets for patangs (kites) and for manja (sharp coloured thread), are already abuzz with sellers busy erecting temporary stalls and making them attractive as this is a seasonal business. The craftsmen, who make colourful kites, manjas and wooden reels for thread winding, are involved in this work throughout the year, and it is the only source of income for them.
Mohammed Jaweed Khan, a manja maker from Mata Ki Khidki, Dabeerpura, who is the son of popular manja maker Mansoor Khan said, “After the demise of my father, the work slowed down. We usually start our work in the month of October, but this time there is a delay of two months. Still, we are able to deliver 50 reels (chakras) of manja till now. The work is going on day and night to meet the demand. As schools and colleges got early holidays, all traders are hoping that they will have more sales during this Sankranti.”
Sajjad Pasha, who is setting up his stall at Gulzar House, said, “There will be around 50 shops by this weekend. This is a seasonal business, but most of the craftsmen along with their families work yearlong for this. When someone buys a kite for Rs 10, it supports many families.”
He added, “As everyone knows Gulzar Houz is a popular name for the best kites and manjas. This is a festival which is celebrated for many days by people irrespective of religion.”
