चली-चल रे पतंग मेरी चली रे
चली बादलों के पार, हो के डोर पे सवार
सारी दुनिया ये देख-देख जली रे
चली-चली रे पतंग…( film Bhabhi 1957).
This melodious song is fondly heard even today.
Flying kites has always been an obsession with a young boy and I too had a passion for the colorful kites of different shapes, charkhis and manja (glass coated string).
The timeless tradition of kite flying has always thrilled and fascinated me hence I am delving deep into it to explore its origin and popularity in India and the world.
Kite flying in India is a vibrant cultural festival to commemorate Independence Day and Makar Shankranti to wrap the youth in festive joy.
The most famous celebration is Uttarayan ( Makar Sankranti) in Gujarat where the kites of various sizes and hues turn the skies into a tapestry of colourful canvass.
During these festivals the rooftops in cities like Dellhi, Amritsar, Lucknow , Jaipur , Kanpur , Ahemdabad, Baroda, Bhopal and scores of others transform into lively spaces filled with laughter and camaraderie.
The real magic happens with the Manja- a sharp , glass powder coated thread meant for cutting rival kites and the area erupts with cry of “Who Kataa in North India ‘or Kai Po Che in Gujarat.
Of course the cool breeze during these festive days does have an invigorative effect.
Bollywood has naturally embraced kite flying into a rich visual metaphor for romance and tether of love having numerous iconic songs and dance sequences.
It is said that the kites had originated in China probably before 1000 B.C. and they are widely flown in the East and the Pacific .
In Europe though the Greeks and Romans had something of the kind and though dragon -shaped kites appear to have known and flown in fifteenth and sixteenth centuries .
In England , kites were pictured in John Bate’s Mysteries of Art and Nature in 1635.
The Italians call them aquiloni (large Eagles) and in German the kite is drachen or dragon.
The kite indeed has been made in many forms –from birds and dragon shapes, elaborately painted and articulated to the simplest lozenge or triangle.
In India the kite has more than a toy of elegance and fascination. Benjamin Franklin made famous use of the kite in his investigations of lightening and electricity.