FESTIVALS & EVENTS

Kites Ahoy: Gujarat's Kite Flying Festival

Devika Khosla

Last updated: Sep 23, 2019

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You can use them to forecast weather, scope out enemy areas, take pictures and even send up prayers to the Almighty. Yes, we are talking about kites – the Chinese invention that has captured the world’s imagination since the last 2,800 years and aided scientific and military research till the fuel-driven aircraft landed on the scene. So what if no standing army or navy uses it anymore to send instructions to its troops, the good old kite still reigns the skies, and the one place that bears testimony to this is the vibrant city of Ahmedabad – host of the International Kite Festival 2013.

Colourful kites light up the Ahmedabad sky during the Kite Flying Festival In Gujarat the Sankrant festival is known as Uttarayan and kite flying is an absolute must do on Makar Sankranti. The international kite flying festival coincides with this festival of India and attracts thousands of kite-crazies from all over the world. Passionate, imaginative and eager kite makers and expert kite flyers gravitate towards the 1.5 km stretch on Sabarmati Riverfront Project in Ahmedabad on January 14^th and fill up the sky with kites of every hue and style.

What to expect:

Go to Ahmedabad expecting to see nearly 150 kite fliers and expert kite makers from across the world strutting their stuff at this festival in Ahmedabad. With the sheer variety at this festival of kites, you’ll find it hard to decide which kite leaves you more speechless than the others – the Wau-balang kites from Malaysia or the llyang-llyanghave from Indonesia; the traditional Rokkaku fighting kites from the island nation of Japan or the first ever flying kites – the Chinese Silk kites. If you’re lucky you might get to see Ahmedabad’s famed kite maker, Rasulbhai Rahimbhai, flying the kite that seems more like a miracle – an impossible 500-kites-on-a-string extravaganza.

At this colorful festival of kites, hope to see everything from illuminated box kites and high-speed sports kites to hand painted ones with colorful traditional motifs. You could meet up with kite makers and get them to spill the beans about kites and prepare for some competitive flying while shopping for kite paraphernalia at the crafts bazaar. One of the highlights of this famous Ahmedabad festival will be a light and sound show about kites. Also, at the festival, kite training workshops promise to turn you into an expert in kite making and the History Pavilion will be an eye opener on mankind’s age old love affair with kites.

The city of Ahmedabad celebrates the kite festival with such enthusiasm that you’ll find it tough not to get a little tipsy with excitement yourself. To see how one whole city can drop everything just to be able to tug at the manjha (special thread used for kite flying) and cut their opponent’s kite, just climb on to the terrace and watch the War of the Kites for yourself. It doesn’t matter if you even know your adversary; that flying kite, sailing proudly in the windy sky is just asking for a skirmish.

Uttarayan, or the Sun’s Northward journey, is the day of this Kite Festival and it is only fair you spend it outdoors right under the benevolent Ahmadabad sun. So book your ticket, pick up that kite and head to Ahmadabad where a skyful of riotous colors awaits you.

Devika Khosla

Devika’s always going ‘somewhere’. Obsessive foodie, spa junkie, animal lover, mountain goat and global citizen. That’s her story.

Comments

Allison Watkins | on 17 January 2013

Not to mention, think about the thousands of really cool kites that have been created in those 2800 years. Also think about all the kites that broke or flew away!