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SKY HIGH
With the Independence Day round the corner, the kite shops are all ready to do a brisk business
Shraddha Maheshwari
It is again that time of the year in Delhi when kite shops are bedecked with the kites of varied sizes, hues and colours. In East Delhi, markets that are famous for kites — Chaand Mohalla, Seelampur and Jaffrabad are all ready to do a brisk business for this is the time when people buy kites in bulk. Several buy 100 at one go. There was a time when kite flying used to be the favourite pastime for both the young and old. But now with so many other games flooding the market and other avenues of entertainment available, kite flying is mostly restricted to August 15, the Independence Day.
Rajesh Narang of Narang Kite centre at Chaand Mohalla is in this business for the past 30 years, and says: "The craze for kite flying has certainly gone down over the years. In Delhi it is on August 15 that we do the maximum business. We have got kites from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Rampur, Bareily and Punjab. Kites from Jodhpur are the best for they have better designs. For string, one should go for Bareily string."
Vikas Kumar of Mannu Kite Centre says: "The business on the Independence Day increases by 100 per cent. Kite business is now a seasonal one. We open our shop from the month of May to August. The maximum sale is from mid July to the end of August. The kites are known by their sizes and patterns. On the basis of size kites can be divided into three types like rocket, tawa and addhi. Then we have tiranga kite, which is made on the pattern of our national flag; and on August 15, it is in demand. "
Kites are available for Rs 1 to 200. The Chinese kites are the most expensive. They are made up of cloth and are water proof. Still, most kite sellers vouch for indigenous kites and feel they are far superior than the Chinese ones. The kites as small as of 4x4 inches are also available. But they are not used for flying. They are bought to be kept as souvenirs. One shopkeeper says: "They are also used for decorative purposes in classrooms."
Sanjay Sharma (14), who met this reporter at a kite shop, was not too sure which one to buy. He, at one moment, asked for the one with the chess board pattern and at the other went for the one done in metallic sheet. He says: "I have learnt this art from my father. I don’t fly kites throughout the year but on this day all our friends and family congregate at our place and we compete with each other in kite flying. My dad is really good at it and manages to cut several kites in a day. I make a lot of noise when his kite soars high. " Well, for all those like him, EDP wishes a happy session of kite flying!
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