Ludhiana, Jan. 11 -- Even as plastic and Chinese kite strings dominate the market, traditional thread-based manjha continues to hold its ground in the city, sustained by a small group of artisans in the Daresi area who have been practising the craft for generations. For them, manjha-making is not merely a seasonal activity but a legacy passed down within families over decades.

At the Daresi ground, 72-year-old Surender Kumar Lahoria, who runs a modest workshop, said he has been engaged in the craft for the past 57 years. "I learnt this work from my father when I was 15 or 16 years old. Even today, we follow the same age-old technique," he said, adding that he works with a group of six to seven artisans who prepare the manjha entirely thr...