Sonam Kapoor joins PETA to save birds

After learning about the plight of birds who are killed by glass-coated kite strings, the Masakali girl sent a letter to Maharashtra Home Minister Shri RR Patil urging him to ban the dangerous manja.

Actress Sonam Kapoor has urged Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil to ban the manufacture of glass-coated strings (manja), used for flying kites, in the entire state as many birds die after getting entangled in them.

"I humbly request your support for the recent ban on manja in Mumbai as well as your immediate action to extend the ban throughout Maharashtra," she said in a letter to Patil.

"The use of manja may be amusing for some, but for many families - human and bird alike - whose loved ones lose their lives, it is a situation that can be definitely prevented," Sonam added.

She has made the request on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India after the Mumbai police banned the use of glass-coated manja for flying kites within the city because of injuries and fatalities to both birds and humans.

The manja used in kite-flying competitions is gummed and coated with powdered and finely crushed glass, making it lethal for birds who become entangled after the strings get caught in trees or on poles.