The Famous Kite Festival at Ahmedabad!!
Of days gone by...this January during my solo all India motorcycle journey…
I was at Ahmedabad, the largest city of Gujarat. It was the day of the kite festival here. This day is celebrated as Makara Sankranti, Baisakhi and Pongal in the rest of the country. The entire city was in celebration mode. I have never seen a city celebrate like this. All the shops in the city were closed for 2 days and to such an extent, that I couldn’t manage to get myself a cup of tea in most parts of the city.
The entire sky was dotted with vibrant colours and wagging tails of the kites that were fluttering in the breeze. And, the citizens of the entire city were on their respective house terraces flying these kites. The kids were in a frenzied mode trying to defeat fellow kite-fliers; others were keeping a close watch to catch a kite that would make its way to the ground after losing its aerial battle. Bandages across the fingers and palms, tube light glass to sharpen the kite thread (manja), the art of kite flying, the joy of catching a kite that has lost its war are some of the vibrant sensations that I felt on this vibrant day in the vibrant state of Gujarat. Took me to my childhood days when I used to be on my friend’s terrace flying kites.
