Of passion and culture

The second edition of KITE, the International Kite Festival, is soaring high. The fest saw participation from 70 international and 40 national flyers. People and participants are having a gala time at the fest.

This is the second time in Hyderabad for Nagpur-based kite flyer Gulabchand Jangid, who has national and international records. He informs that he started making kites since 2005. “I have made an 8.5 feet kite and after making it, I developed a strange fascination for kites.”

Talking about his unique kite, which has electric bulbs and is a treat to watch when in the sky, he says, “This kite has an electric wire of 240 volts with electric bulbs and I have used nylon manja for my kite.

I have used light materials for making the kite. ”

Sharing about his record he says, “I am passionate about kites since 15 years. In Nagpur Kite Festival I made a 12-feet kite and that was the first time when I received an award in my life for my hobby.

This encouraged me to make more different types of kites and had a determination to create new records. I have records in Limca Book of World Records, Unique World, World Records, Asia Book, India Book, Everest World and Assist World Records. Right now I am running an Orange City Kite Club in Nagpur.”

Gulabchand opines that kites should be flown in open spaces rather than terraces and if we follow that people, especially, children will not get hurt. “People should start doing this and they should inculcate the same in children.”

Endang, a woman kite flyer from Indonesia said that she started flying the kite 26 years ago and she has participated in various kite flying fests in India. “Kite flying is my passion.

We have a kite museum in Indonesia and people of my country are more passionate about flying kite than Indians. In India we mostly see only men flying kites and we see women fly kite rarely.

The situation is more or less in Indonesia also. Only 10 per cent women fly kites. I think from childhood parents should encourage boys and girls equally to fly kites and it should be continued when they grow up. ” she says.

In the evening the fest had various traditional and cultural performances, giving an essence of Telangana to the kite fest.

Vishwakarma, a Mathuri dancer, which is a tribal art form from Adilabad said “We presented the Adivasi Nritya and we are performing here for the first time. Many performers had come from Chennai to Adilabad to learn this art form.

I own a tribal art training centre in Adilabad and train people in various art forms. I have performed in foreign countries like Australia and New Zealand.”

“In Telangana, many people don’t know about Mathuri art form. They compare Adivasi art forms with folk arts. And in this regard, we are trying to create awareness about it in people. Before separate state, it was difficult to perform on various platforms.

The present government is creating ample opportunities for the artists to perform and earn through it,” he said.