Mumbai: Also known as Makar Sankranti or Maghi, Sankranti is a festival which is dedicated to the Sun God. The day is dedicated to the Sun God, and is majorly celebrated in the Telugu states. The whole nation is celebrating the first festival of the year today and extending warm wishes on the auspicious day, actress Dia Mirza recalled her fond childhood memories of this day.
In an interview with Times Of India, Dia Mirza also opened up about how ‘Chinese manja’ is still in use despite being banned in India. She also spoke about the harm it is causing to the nature.
She shares: “All of my childhood I loved Makar Sankranti! It was about eating till laddoos, spending hours on rooftops, music playing, friends cheering, competition running high, the sheer high of letting go of a kite and watching it rise high, high, high!”
Dia Mirza, who is an ardent animal lover, shared a special message for all the kite-flyers. She said, “The glass manja or Chinese manja was introduced into our festivals about 25-30 years ago and it is highly destructive. It kills birds and causes serious harm to other beings as well.”
“As someone who has the most joyous memories of Sankranti from my childhood, I wish the joy of the festival would be restored by a collective conscience to stop using Chinese Manja. Despite the NGT banning the use of Chinese manja, people continue to use it,” she added.
“Each year on and around Makar Sankranti 1000’s of birds across India are fatally injured by this manja,” Dia Mirza further stated.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Dia Mirza was last seen in Taapsee Pannu starrer Thappad in which she played a pivotal role. The movie was directed by Anubhav Sinha and minted decent numbers at box office.
