The International Kite Festival in Ahmedabad saw 98 international kite flyers and 55 Indians. By A Mishra
We have often seen ordinary kites with the prints of actors and famous personalities but what if we tell you that the biggest kite festival in India not only had kites that were five feet tall but also Gangnam styled kites to stand out. This is one of the descriptions of many out-of-the-box-kites that we saw at the festival held at Ahmedabad. With heart thumping music of dhol (drums) played by the artistes from Gujarat, entered the chief minister, Anandiben Patel and the governor, Om Prakash Kohli. The occasion was to celebrate the International Kites Festival 2016. On the Sabarmati Riverfront, a huge stage was set for the inauguration of the festival which was followed by many cultural programmes.
The festival is celebrated on the occasion of Uttarayan to welcome spring season in the country. On the day of Uttarayan, the sun moves towards north and it is also celebrated as a harvest festival. On this auspicious day, people celebrate by flying kites and eating til barfi made withtil (sesame seeds) and gud (jaggery) and undhiyu (spicy baked mix of vegetables) in Gujarat and khichdi in some parts of Northern India.
“Uttarayan is a festival which tells us how to work with nature and not to exploit it,” said the chief minister.
The festival not only witnesses different kind of kites but there were other attractions which one could have enjoyed at the much awaited festival.
Shuttle ride
After the inauguration, Patel and Kohli took a shuttle ride and came to the field and wished good luck to the participants and also encouraged them. The shuttle in which the dignitaries took the ride was iconic in itself. It came from the Indian-African submit which was held in Delhi few months ago.
Progress
At the festival, 98 international kite flyers participated from 38 countries. Eight states of the country and 55 flyers from the state itself also participated. “last year, the international participation was of only 28 flyers which has now increased to 98,” said Nityanand Srivastava, managing director, Gujarat Tourism.
Earlier the festival was organised in only five cities but this year, it is being organised in 13 different cities. “This festival not only benefits the hospitality industry but it also generates revenue for the manufacturer of kites, auto and cab driver, shopkeeper, et al. so, this year, people from 13 cities will be generating revenue which is great news for the government as well as for us (Gujarat Tourism),” Srivastava pointed out. He also shared with us that Andhra Pradesh Government has asked them to send few flyers on January 15 as they are celebrating the fest on that day.
Country participation
Argentina, Austria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, France, Russia, Philippines, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey, Switzerland, Singapore, Cambodia, Macao, et al.
Variety
At the fest, one could find different patterns and types of kites among which some of them were Dragon kite, box-shaped kite, flying dolphin, Mickey Mouse, octopus, Ganesha, birds, ring and what not. These kites were more than six feet tall and seemed really heavy in weight. Not only this, but flyers from Vietnam had a musical kite, whereas flyers from South Korea displayed Gangnam styled kites.
photos Pankaj Kumar