This Sankranti is going to be a memorable one for the people of Hyderabad. And why not! The 3rd International Kite Festival at Parade Grounds, Secunderabad, is a spectacle to watch. Soon after Deputy Chief Minister, Mohammad Mahmood Ali along with other dignitaries including tourism and tribal welfare minister Azmeera Chandulal and politician K. Swamy Goud, inaugurated the event, various colourful kites took flight. From the traditional desi kites to Chinese worm-shaped kites and French snake-shaped kites, there was a huge variety that filled the Hyderabad sky.
What’s interesting is that apart from the teams from various Indian cities including Mangalore and Ahmedabad, many international participants from countries such as China, France and Korea are also taking part in the three-day event. Even Korea had a one-km-long kite and it was one of the first ones to fly. One kite that enthralled many onlookers was an owl-shaped beauty from Indonesia. The USP of the kite was that it was made from dried bamboo leaves. The maker of the outstanding kite, Kadek Dwi Armika, said, “Although kite-flying is popular in Indonesia, this isn’t a traditional flight. I innovated this.”
various colourful kites took flight
Around 10 students from the Johns Hopkins University in USA, who were in the city for a research assignment, were also present at the event and looked quite fascinated with the splendid display of myriads of shapes and colours. One of the students, Christian, even tried his hands at taming a kite. “This isn’t an easy job,” he said, adding, “I was informed that this event takes place every year. I would like to be a part of it next year too.”
Many kids from the city were seen at the Parade Grounds accompanied by their parents and grandparents. Interestingly, adults as well as the elderly were equally, if not more, excited to be at the event. They flew kites and even taught their kids how to handle the flight.
One such doting grandfather Nutan Das came to the event along with his eight-year-old grandson, Daksh. “I can remember those days when we would have kite-flying competitions in the locality and after cutting off a kite, we would run to catch hold of it. Those scenes are rare these days. So I got my grandson here to teach him a few tricks,” he said. Another attractive part of the event is a sweet festival which will exhibit more than 1,000 national and international sweets. A special night flying event will also be held in which expert flyers from China, Thailand, Indonesia, Turkey and other countries will compete.
