Weekend from Home (WFH) thoughts….The Kite

When string goes slack

You wind it back

And run until

A new breeze blows

And its wings fill

And up it goes!

The Kite by Harry Behn

Colourful papers that are pasted on delicate wooden frames, a skill that called for a lot of concentration and dexterity of the fingers. These frames would crowd the pedestrian walking paths in the main markets of Mumbai months ahead of ‘Makara Sankranthi’. Called the ‘patang’ in Mumbai, these kites were the best that one could indulge in during festivals like Diwali and during ‘Makara Sankranthi’ and during the winter.

Memories go back to those days in Mumbai as one watched the city streets brace themselves during the Ganesh festival. Idols taking form at least a couple of months before the festival was a joy to trace day on day. Just like the Ganesha festival days, the markets would be filled with wooden frames that would be kept ready as skeletons in the streets, till life was fleshed into it by varied hues of paper. Some of them even carried colourful tails and lovely bows at times stringed onto the tail. And soon before ‘Makara Sankranthi’ the shops would exhibit an inlay of colourful kites.

At school this was the time of the year when we had kite making as a part of our craft lessons. The paste had a typical odour, for it was made out of maida flour. This was a separate experience by itself as in school, we were trained to make the right gum and with the right consistency. This gum was used to paste the paper on the bamboo sticks. And for those who could not afford the colour papers, the newspaper was always an option. Binding a string to the kite was always challenging and that is where my father would work with precision. Teachers at school also discussed the Indian freedom struggle and movement and about how kites were used as a medium of protest by the Indians in protest against the Simon commission in the 1920s.

Back home, kite flying was bonding time and my father would make it a point to take us to the ‘gacchi’ or the terrace together as kids. As the head of the family, these kites were flown by him to a certain height and then handed over to the boys. The girls helped with the ‘manjha’ or the thread that was used to fly the kites. The girls were praised for their focus, for ensuring that the right length of the ‘manjha’ from the ‘firki’ or the reel that held the ‘manjha’ was let loose and for patiently balancing the ‘firki’ on the stretched hands. Selecting the ‘manjha’ or the kite flying string required a lot of expertise. Those days we had these glass-coated ‘manjha’ and it was said that these ‘manjhas’ were the best to sever the competitor’s kite. Launching a kite called for a lot of judgement and one had to feel the direction of the wind and if you faced the wrong way, the kite would never rise. One of the best past times, the family looked forward to this festival time, as mother packed boxes of snack and juice for us. Together we would take turns to watch the kite flying higher and higher in the skies.

Connecting Indian mythology and stories to this art of kite flying…it is believed that the god Vishwakarma was the one who built chariots that flew the gods across the skies and the one who was responsible for the building of Lord Krishna’s Dwaraka. As a mark of reverence to Lord Vishwakarma, people believed in flying kites and to this day, kite flying is followed as a ritual in certain parts of the country. The beginning of a new season is what kite flying denotes as people indulge in kite flying during ‘Uttarayan’ or ‘Makara Sankranthi’.

The last two years during the COVID however has given kite-flying a newer definition as people follow social distancing and are in fear of stepping out in groups. As this winter season officially ends during ‘Makara Sankranthi’ and we await the start of spring…this transition of seasons this year discards yet another tradition and skill that went into the making of the ‘patang’, the fighter kite. The difference is that we as mankind do not and will not give up so easily but continue to fight the COVID patang together….for when winter comes, can spring be far behind……