Festival of the kite runners- Daylong riverside show on January 29 RAJIV KONWAR Jan. 11: Once they used to sweep across the sky of the Land of the Dragon, measuring distance, testing the wind, signalling and as communication tools. By the end of this month, hundreds of them will hover over the Brahmaputra in the city spreading the message that sky is the limit for man. For the first time a kite festival, Riverside Kite Festival, will be organised with a daylong programme on January 29 at Uzan Bazar Jahaj Ghat here. So, if you are an elderly person and have the experience of flying kites in your childhood, the festival will be a place to be in to revive your childhood memories. If you are a youngster, the festival will let you be in a joyous mood that people across the world enjoy at different kite festivals. “The theme of the festival is: The sky is mine till I’ve desire to fly,” said Suresh Ranjan Goduka, managing trustee of Jeevan Initiative, the NGO which is organising the event. Goduka said they were trying to build a positive atmosphere through the festival. Goduka said as youths have been victims of decades of turmoil and unrest, they have a negative attitude to life. “We want to carry a message to them that they should not stop dreaming,” Goduka said. In Gujarat, Makar Sankranti is celebrated as the kite-flying day. Ahmedabad, Gujarat’s premier city, is the venue of International Kite Festival. There are different types of kites like kids’ kites (children can operate them with a simple single line), stunt or sports kites (can be steered using two strings), power kites (designed to produce a large amount of lift and strong pull, and can be used for traction to pull, boards, snow boards and skis and even boats on the water) and large single line display kites (to draw attention of crowds). “Two days ago, we started a group in Facebook on the event. Now, around 200 people said they would join the festival,” Goduka said. “People will bring their kites to the festival. We have also requested a few people who can make kites to put up stalls at the venue on the festival day so that people can buy kites from them,” Goduka said. He added that people could take part in kite-flying competition as well as open flying. Abinash Kishore, who has the experience of making kites, said making a kite takes two to three days. “While making a kite, balancing is also important, otherwise, it will not fly properly. Paper, bamboo, parachute cloths are some of the materials used in making kites. Butterfly kite, box kite and dragon kites are some of kite varieties. When a butterfly kite flies, it creates a sound,” said Kishore, who has agreed to make a few kites for the organiser.
(The Telegraph, 12.01.2012) http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120112/jsp/northeast/story_14995767.jsp _______________________________________________ assam mailing list [email protected] http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
