Old City abuzz with manja making

Gulzar Houz: It is a tradition that is as old as the hills. Though the Chinese manja also referred as Tangoos did make a dent into this age-old tradition, the handmade manja is still sought after and many families in the old city of Hyderabad make it.

Times have changed but the traditional way of making the manja with boiled rice, soap, glass dust powder and colour hasn’t. In the bylanes of Gulzar House and Hussainialam are families that are keeping the tradition alive.

Several members of the family are invoved for days before the festival of kites Sankranti. Mohammed Riyaz, 35 has been making manja since the age of 15. He says, “My family has been making manja in this very place for the last 100 years. In the past people would come few months in advance and book manja.”

Eight members of the family are involved in various aspects of manja making. Two members tie the thread at two poles that are placed on two ends of the road. Two more members are given the task of applying the paste and two more roll the thread.

Ali, another manja maker says, “It looks easy but one can master it only after several years of practise. Correct mixture, exact pressure and time are crucial for the final product.”

There are many loyal customers who come from nearby districts an dalso from Karnataka and Maharashtra. Md Iqbal, a manja maker at Hussainialam says, “We have families in Karimnagar, Nalgonda and even from Maharashtra who have been coming to us for manja for several years. They also introduce new customers.”
In some families the younger lot are slowly moving away from manja making as many have gone to the Gulf to work and have taken up regular jobs in the city.

By M M Farooqui