The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Festive spirit soars high

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Tuesday, Jan 15, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Festive spirit soars high

J.S. Ifthekhar

Come Sankranti people of all ages indulge in kite flying

— Photo: P.V. Sivakumar

Fun and masti: Youngsters flying kites at the Necklace Road during Sankranti celebrations on Monday.

HYDERABAD: Here we go again. Hyderabad is awash with this spirit as the festival of kites unfolded on the city firmament in a riot of colours. The dusty streets are abuzz with the din of running feet, boisterous cries and sky aflutter with multi-coloured kites. Come Sankaranti the twin cities take to the fancy-in-flight like a duck to water.

The romance of kite flying has not lost its charm centuries after the sport was invented.

In fact with the passage of time it has become a hallowed social practice and acquired a religious significance.

Unlike other sports, kite flying is not so much a struggle of one against the other as a way of excelling oneself. It is a game where the sheer joy of sending ones kite high into the sky makes the heart sing. A spirit of grand informality pervaded on Monday with everyone joining in - forgetting differences of age and religion.

The impromptu kite kiosks that have sprung up on road sides are filled with a unique colour and clamour.

The business is brisk notwithstanding the slight hike in prices.

But few revellers are aware of the plight of scores of families in Dhoolpet, Yakutpura and Saidabad who have been working overtime these past few months to bring out kites of varying hues and sizes.

Named after the graceful hawk, kites are believed to be in vogue since the 5th century BC.

But over the years kite flying has become a national pastime with everyone letting their hair down on Sankranti.

However, what lingers in memory is the impish delight of children upon catching a stricken kite.

Wielding long sticks, they run amuck virtually to extricate kites stuck in tree branches and overhead power lines.

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Andhra Pradesh