Kites are cool

ON JANUARY 15 the Mumbai sky will be filled with a 100 plus kites as Makar Sankranti is observed in the city For Mangesh Tare Dadar resident Makar Sankranti is always a day at Shivaji Park with his friends He says ldquoFrom the time I was a kid in school flying a kite and cutting as many manjas threads as I could has been a passion for me The sheer thrill of the competition and the fun of the experience make me look forward to the day even today I still am as joyous as a child when it comes to kite flyingrdquoUP IN THE AIR Show kites are the main attraction for many enthusiasts in the city PicNimesh DaveKite crazeKamal Parekh businessman has inculcated a love for flying kites in his son The Malabar Hill resident says ldquoIn our colony the Sunday in the Makar Sankranti week is kite flying competition day We come together as families to have fun as we cut the manja and bring down opposition kites in the process I like that the young and old come together to enjoy the festival in our areardquoKITE RUNNER Flying kites brings great joy to young and old alike PicPradeep DhivarHis son Paresh adds ldquoThis year my college friends will also come to join us in our colony Very few people celebrate kite flying in Mumbai the festival is more a Gujarat event Our area tries to make miniGujarat a reality Many of my friends do not even know how to fly a kite I will be teaching them to fly kites and how to effectively cut the manja Handling the manja is an art and the technique associated with it is important while flying a kiterdquoJOY OF FLYING The tradition of competitive kite flying as part of Makar Sankranti festivities is a part of the Indian ethos PicSameer MarkandeOn Sunday January 11 show kites will be on display at Wadalarsquos Ajmera Ground Kite maker and designer Ashok Shah says ldquoThis year a new three dimensional 3D boat kite an inflatable frog kite and a 100kite train are part of the new designs for 2015 Makar Sankranti We donrsquot use manja but instead use braided nylon thread to fly our kites This doesnrsquot injure birds and is safe to userdquoROAR A tiger kite with a 3D look is part of modern show kites PicBipin KokateCuts and bruisesSince manja mdash the thread used commonly to fly a kite mdash is made of a combination of ground glass and soluble paper glue it can cut through surfaces including the skin Kala Ghoda resident Yazdi Malu suffered an injury to his face due to the manja last year while riding his scooterYazdi MaluMalu says ldquoA street kid was playing as I was riding near Reay Road I felt the thread get entangled in my windcheater and slide up Within seconds I suffered a cut to my face Thankfully my neck was spared and I live to tell the tale I was bleeding but the cut was not deep so I went home put cream and did some dressing I then went to the doctor for a check up to prevent infectionrdquoIndraneel SadadekarAndheri resident Indraneel Sadadekar also suffered a similar injury last year while riding his bike along the Western Express Highway at Goregaon He says ldquoI was wearing a helmet but the thread still managed to cut my chin I was bleeding profusely and the manja was stuck around me I then rushed to a nearby doctor who had a look at the injury and did some dressing This year around Makar Sankranti time I am very careful I wear a scarf while riding my bike as a precautionrdquoKite flying enthusiast Samar Tope says he uses gloves to fly his kite to avoid injury He says ldquoI ensure that my kite or manja doesnrsquot hurt anyone so I opt for an open space to fly kites Also as a young boy I had suffered a cut due to the manja while flying so as a precaution I use glovesrdquoFestive flyingWhile many people in the city fly one kite on Makar Sankranti for religious and traditional significance the trend is dying out Shah says ldquoSankranti is not a holiday and many people do not know how to fly a kite so celebrations are different now I teach people to fly kites as well as how to make a kite at my workshops I do my bit to keep this sport aliverdquoA similar attempt is being made by Shayzaday Abbas captain of one of the teams of the Golden Kite Club at Babulnath He says ldquoI fly kites at various show events and matches in the city The only people who fly kites today are street children The middleclass doesnrsquot have any inclination or time to fly kites It is a sad state of affairs I try to do my bit to encourage people by teaching themrdquoDeepak Kapadia who is also from the same club says ldquoWe are planning a kite making and flying event around Makar Sankranti People donrsquot fly kites as much as they used to earlier and as a result they are drawn to these workshops Many children learn to fly their first kite here and the joy we bring people is immenserdquoThe flavour of the festival may have changed over the years but the joy of kite flying remains constant Makar Sankranti as the festival of kites lives on through the communities and kite flying clubs in the city