Kite sellers hopes up as Sankranti nears

Dabeerpura: With less than a fortnight for the ‘Festival of Harvest,’ Sankranti to be celebrated in the city, the traditional kite makers in parts of Old City are gearing up to meet the demand. Despite dwindling of the business during the last few years, they continue to stick to their traditional business to sustain with whatever they get with the limited sales, mostly in the month of January. Wholesale businessmen in different parts of Old city are hoping that they would make good profits through sales this year. 

One of the kite makers and wholesalers based in Dabeerpura, Mohsin Ali who has been into business for past 30 years, said that he was expecting increase in demand, as the schools would announce holidays for the season. Traditionally, he has been selling kites and related material to different districts of Telugu states, AP and Telangana for three decades. He laments that with the onslaught of video games and other gadgets, the children have lost interest in the outdoor and physical activity. This remains one of the reasons, he believes, for the craze of flying kites slowly waning during the last two decades. “Earlier children used to buy kites three to four months before the Sankranti, but in the recent years the trend has changed. Now the sales can only be expected in the December and January,” he lamented.   

Even as the kite business picks up some pace, the traditional ‘manja’ (coated thread with glass or other material) makers are back in business in this part of the City. Shaik Sahab who manufactures manja in Dabeerpura for the last 40 years has demanded that the government keep a close watch on sales of Chinese manja (synthetic thread coated with finely crushed glass), since there are reports of it being hazardous not only for birds but also human beings. “Manja should be only of thread and not of plastic which is also known as China manja. It is being reported that in past few years with Chinese manja is creating many a causalities of both men and birds, during celebrations,” he said.

This year in Telangana, Sankranti is expected to be celebrated on January 14, the day children and youth cutting across different religions fly kites from open spaces and terraces of the buildings. That is also the day when the sky turns colourful, even as the youth wee to get upper hand in the skies, with their skills. “On this day sky changes from blue to multiple colours, as colourful kites cover the entire sky and fly in air, making different patterns. Kite flying has a long history and remained an activity for adults and children in this part of the City,” said Md Ahmedullah, a kite enthusiast.

There are many kinds of a kite for children and adults. Many like to fly kite on the day of festival, as background music is played to cheer them up. Kites are available in different sizes from 12 inches to 50 inches in different models and designs. Enthusiasts wish to have a steady wind and to fly kites. The festival adds colour to sky and gives people a reason to go outside, adds Ahmedullah.

BY Syed Mujtaba Hussain Abidi