14th January is celebrated as kite flying festival (Makar Sakranti or Uttarayan) in many parts of India and Gujarat is in the fore front of this festival. The environment is electric with almost the entire city of 5 million grabbing every possible high point atop multi storied apartments, water tanks to fly kites and indulge in Kite fights.
Though kites are flown the entire day the best is reserved for the evenings. ENtire families are on top of buildings and the otherwise burstling streets wear a deserted look. There is loud music backed by the shouts of family and friends to pep up the kite fighters. It is a multi million dollar industry with shops selling special sharp strings and designer kites to feed the huge appetite of Ahmedabad's residents to fly kites. One family might end up flying almost 100 kites during the course of the day.
For one day the city is full of millions of kite runners with kits, adults alike run the streets catching the fallen kites that are flown on the next day January 15th.
Rooftops, a sea of humanity, chants, music, colour, passion are some of the words; combined together signify the kite fighters and runners of Ahmedabad. The real festival is not a public function for a select few but the carnival is crafted on every rooftop and is very democratic in nature; Everyone is invited to festivities and all the citizens are the invitees also.
In Gujarat grain from the new harvest is used to cook 'khichdo'. Typical food like Undiya, sugar cane juice and local sweets are served to celebrate the day. Cows and trees are also offered pujan since man's existence depends on them. People forget and forgive ill will. For this, they ritually offer each other food balls made of sesame seed and jaggery. This is common in Maharashtra too. In east India, at Gangasagar, thousands of pilgrims throng to Kapil Muni's ashram on this day for darshan.
History & Significance
The fascination and the revelry associated with the kite flying cuts across age groups, class and communities. Although, Uttarayan is predominantly a Hindu festival marking the awakening of the gods from their deep slumber, history has it that India developed a rich tradition of kite flying due to the patronage of the Kings and Nawabs who found the sport both entertaining and a way of displaying their prowess. Trained fliers were employed to fly kites for kings. Slowly, the art started becoming popular amongst the masses. Today, manufacturing of kites is a serious business. It attracts big names of the corporate world as kites provide for the most cost-effective opportunity for branding. The stakes are high and prizes for the competition grand.
Months before the festival of Uttarayan, homes in the localities of various cities in Gujarat turn into kite producing factories with all family members doing their bit in the seasonal cottage business. The paper and sticks are cut, the glue is stirred and thousands of kites are prepared in the market. The string is coated with a special glass powder and rice paste, all set to cut each other's strings and knock down the kites. The size of the kite ranges from nine inches to three feet.
Members of various communities irrespective of cast and creed are engaged in the business of kites. Rich or poor, people enjoy this festival in their own ways. The aerodynamic skill, devotion and ingenuity that goes into the kite making and flying is almost a religion in itself, honed to the level of an art form, though it looks deceptively simple.
