Fewer kite fights this I-Day as corona snips the thread
LUCKNOW: Kites flying high in the sky symbolise the spirit of freedom. Small wonder Independence Day is no less than a kiteflying fest for the city folks, when the skyscape is dotted with kites of myriad hues and shapes, many of them Tiranga (tricolour).
Unfortunately this year, the ongoing corona virus pandemic has cut the kites even before they took off.
Those engaged in kite making business said the pandemic had led to a slump in business. The kite workshops were adversely hit, affecting the supply on the occasion of I-Day.
Some said that since I-Day was falling on Saturday, the day of weekend closure, the scene of the sky dotted with colourful kites of different hues and shapes would be missed as people would stay indoors.
“Ours is a seasonal business. In the state capital, kites are flown only twice a year—the day after Diwali that is called as Jamghat in local parlance and on I-Day. But this year things are different.
No orders have been placed so far. I don’t think there will be any improvement in the present grim scenario,” said Kumar Gurudutt alias Guddu—who owns a small but popular shop in Dilaram Baradari, Chaupatiya in the Old City.
Gurudutt cited the lockdown as one of the main reasons behind the sudden slump in kite business. “The lockdown ruined everything and kite flying that was already on its last legs was no exception.
Our workers who left during the lockdown are yet to return and resume kite making. Other kite making units too are lying closed. It is the same with units that make kite-flying thread. With no kite and no thread how will anyone keep the tradition alive?” said Gurudutt, who had sold around 18,000 kites last year on the eve of I-Day.
› A large number of people, who used to fly kites from the open ground or places other than rooftops are not buying kites. This has badly affected sales. Also, I-Day is falling on Saturday, a weekend closure. OM PRAKASH, who owns a 50-yearold shop in Chaupatiya
Om Prakash, who owns a 50-year-old shop in Chaupatiya, said only those who had access to a rooftop were buying kites. “A large number of people who used to fly kites from the open ground or places other than rooftops are not buying kites. This has badly affected the sale. Also, I-Day is falling on Saturday that is a weekend closure day. This is another reason behind the dip in sales this year,” he said.
Prakash still remembers that last year kites bearing the images of PM Modi and UP CM Adityanath were in great demand, as were Tiranga kites.
“But unfortunately Tiranga, the special variety of kite that is flown on I-Day, will not be seen this year,” he added.
Some kite lovers said the words like ‘addha’, ‘pauna’, ‘Lakhnaua’ (the names of kites in local parlance), so common among the kite lovers, would not be heard this time. “The city has more than two dozen kite flying clubs but there will be no competition this year.
“People are still reluctant to come out of their houses,” said Saraswati Prasad, a kite-flying enthusiast.
He said apart from Lucknow, kite flying on I-Day was popular in Unnao, Kanpur, Sitapur, Hardoi, Bareilly, Moradabad, Prayagraj, Varanasi and Agra too.