Kite prices soar this year

Inflation has hit even the simple pleasures of life. The price of kites, widely flown during Makar Sankranti, has gone up by 25% due to the hike in prices of raw material like paper, string and sticks.

Inflation has hit even the simple pleasures of life. The price of kites, widely flown during Makar Sankranti, has gone up by 25% due to the hike in prices of raw material like paper, string and sticks.

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“There has been a rise of Rs 15 in the price of raw manja (kite string). We have to get it coated with glass and then sell it. We get 1,000 metres of manja for Rs 95 and sell it for Rs 150 after including the cost of the glass coating,” said Asif Khan, owner of the 70-year-old Standard Kites in Bandra.

Wholesalers sell 20 regular paper kites for Rs 50 and retailers sell it for Rs 90-100. “Earlier prices used to rise by Rs 3-5 every year, but this year there has been a rise of Rs 10-15 in the raw material,” Khan added.

With the result business at kite shops has gone down by almost 50%. “Our shop used to be filled with customers days before the festival, but now there are few customers and our business has been affected badly,” said Arif Shaikh, owner of Raees Kites.

Not only prices, but other factors too are to blame for the dip in business. “Nowadays, people have cell phones and computers. They think it is a waste of money spending on kites for one day. The traditional value of the festival is lost these days,” Shaikh added.

What’s more, there is threat from overseas as well. String from China has been a threat to sellers of cotton string. Chinese string is stretchable and much sharper than the cotton manja because of which it has been banned. But, it continues to be sold.

“Many people don’t fly kites because of the birds, but cotton manja doesn’t harm birds. Chinese string has ruined our business, as it is durable and harmful. Although it is banned, people still sell it,” Khan added.