January 10, 2009

The kite festival of Ahmedabad(GUJARAT)


In school times the most scoring question asked in our language paper is of ESSAY. Today I am trying to write essay on "The Kite Festival".

The kite festival is one of the most popular public festival in Gujarat. It is the only festival that is being celebrated as per the English Calendar. It comes every year on 14th of January. The second day, 15th January is called "Vasi Uttarayan"(i.e., the day to fly out the left things on the main day). I am leaving in Ahmedabad. From my childhood , I am seeing people on the roof of their home on these two days. There could be 95% of the Ahmedabad population is on roof during this festival.

If you do not know how to fly a kite, its a matter of shame. To cut the other's kite in the sky (Gujarati word is "PATCH") is equally important as to win a battle. Apart this a big art is involved in catching the kite going down towards earth after being cut down during this "patch".

People will not only enjoy kite flying but also kite stealing.

During this festival, incedances are recorded of being fighting between neighbours also. These festival is taking out a soldier of a kite flyer. From past few years girls are also taking active part in flying kites. Previously their duty is to hold down "Firki" and to help the kite flyer boy. ("Firki" is a wooden roller on which the string is rolled out to fly kite).

In ahmedabad, officially gujarat government is organizing kite festival during these days where international kite flyer take part with amazing and unconventional kites.

If you talk any Indian festival, the one of the most interesting part is "Food". The main food of this festival is "Chikki" or "Sankali". It is made up of "Til" or "Sing"(groundnut) and sugar or "Gol". It is very easy to cook and good to eat. The second option is "Mamra na Ladu". It is made up with "mamra"( I am not getting the english meaning for this word) and sugar or "Gol).

The fruits for the day are Guava and Big Berries.

The main food is "Jalebi" and "Undhiyun". (I would not like to go deep in the cooking method for these. )

So whole day people are on roof and shouting and enjoying the festival is not enough with this festival. During night people will fly "Tukkal". A small candle is kept inside a special mechanism and flied up with kite. I have seen people who will fly more than 10 tukkals on a same kite.

I can not able to explain more on these fstival. Rather I will try my best to post some photographs of the same.

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