As far as I know, these are special "strings" made out of some metal. Glass and glue is not conductive.
It's tiny, light sharp shards of glass and metal that are glued on to normal string. The glue and glass/metal form a paste that is easy to coat string with.
Already the manufacture of kite strings this way is prohibited under Pakistani law. But it is very easy to improvise with eggs, wet flour (or even heavily boiled rice!), glue, crushed glass or metal, and a bucket to mix it all in.
Mad_s, obviously you have never had the joy to fly a kite. Otherwise you wouldn’t be talking of a mixture like that above used on a string to sharpen them. There is no mixture of glass and metal glued on to normal strings. The metal string (wire) is separate and mainly attached to the sharpened string. So that you can “catch” other kites, while they float away from you.
We have three main issues here:
1.) Sharpened strings (which make the least problem). Or enforce a law where kids under 16 are not allowed to fly.
2.) metal string, a wire basically (the major issue here, electrocution). Not sure how to handle this situation
3.) tray bullets (also a major but not as major as nr.2). Any law for that?! No.
You conveniently skiiped bolding the part in yoru own text about ground glass being used on strings - the sharpened kite strings. Last time I ever flew a kite like that was back in the mid-late 80s in Karachi and trust me... the string was sharp.
The celebratory bullets falling back to earth can be prevented.... by giving them nothing to celebrate, by banning basant. No celebration means no shooting up.
Mad_s, the article is for you to know about the wires and bullets used for celebrating. I for myself know that ground glass is used, but this post above is a response to you.
Nevertheless, I will never agree with basant being banned to be the right option. Law and Order has never been perfect in Pakistan. Maybe we should keep that in mind too.
No matter which Government, It's always been a problem.
Aur haan, kite flying as in general is not banned and many equip their kites even at not so basanti days. People die then too.
Are you for a kite flying ban all over the country?
I dont get this. A tradition is dying and we are letting it happen.
A simple tradition has gone overboard. It used to be flying kite competition and people are using dangerous material in the competition. Material is dangerous not for the kite-flier but for the one who gets injured with it. If I remember correctly there was one incident where an infant's neck was cut by the string from kite and he died and the family wasn't even participating (probably passer-by).
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Many die at Hajj does It mean we should quit this tradition too?
Ridicilous.
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I am sure you know the difference between religious ritual and tradition.
kite making and kite flying are enormously fulfilling particularly when you are a teenaged boy. the sharp string, metal/glass etc are taking the sport to an extreme.
why not ban the metal/glass strings and just allow normal twine? Ofcourse as a meaure of additional safety, allow it only in open air maidans and not from streets or house tops
we used to make kites out of old newspaper and any thing else lying around
why not ban the metal/glass strings and just allow normal twine? Ofcourse as a meaure of additional safety, allow it only in open air maidans and not from streets or house tops
As I said, they are already banned, but people can and do make them thelmselves.
Short of authorising to police to access every rooftop where people are flying kites, it is impractical to enforce a ban on sharpened string.
To Ali_R: Basant was cancelled this year. There might be one next year, but I think it will never ever become the festival it was in the past. There are many reasons for this. The senseless deaths are the main reason, but so is this silly notion that Basant is a Hindu festival. Also, do take into account that Basant was nationalized, and nothing nationalized in our parts has ever come to anything. Basant has gone the way of the old Horse & Cattle and Tattoo shows (which were also, incidentally, nationalized).
By the way, I liked your point about people being stampeded to death during Hajj.
great news , its another opportunity for the wealthy to show off their wealth so the festival itself shud be banned and if it really was a hindu relgious festival than all the more reason to ban it
but kite flying itself is a harmless hobby largely for poor kids that shud not be banned as it can be done in any season
People should celeberate basnat but should take care of others as well as theirselves - avoid firing, cutting people's neck with that iron dor and falling from rooftops.
A simple tradition has gone overboard. It used to be flying kite competition and people are using dangerous material in the competition. Material is dangerous not for the kite-flier but for the one who gets injured with it. If I remember correctly there was one incident where an infant's neck was cut by the string from kite and he died and the family wasn't even participating (probably passer-by).
Point is, these dangerious materials were used years back too and no one complained. All of a sudden we have that extreme religious influence by Mr. Zia and Co and every one started complaining about a hindu tradition being part of Lahore. I wonder why exactly these people do marry the way they do? Don't they ever realize that most of the marriage rituals are adopted out of hinduism? Tab kyun subh chup ho jaate hai?
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I am sure you know the difference between religious ritual and tradition.
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I do, but dont forget that religious rituals are also part of tradition and vice versa.