By Anil Sharma, IANS
Jaipur : With Makar Sankranti falling on Monday, Jaipur seems to be ready to welcome the festival with special varieties of kites. Huge Chinese kites in the shape of birds and dragons are the major attraction of this year’s festival.
“Chinese kites are giving a tough fight to the domestic kite makers. Ranging from Rs 20 to Rs 300, these kites are 7-8 feet high and made up of a fine membrane of cloth,” said Arshad, a kite maker.
Despite being a costly affair, these kites are well in demand. Sparrow, dragon butterfly and eagle designs are some of the preferred designs in the market.
Kites in the shape of men with the photographs of celebrities and politicians are equally popular.
Ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 50, these kites are available in different materials, including papers, plastic paper, gelatine paper and plastic film.
“This time, kites in the shape of men are the major attraction in the city. Kites, which have the photographs of Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds and India’s off spinner Harbhajan Singh, are high in demand. The demand, of course, depends on the popularity of such personalities,” said Iqbal Qureshi, a kite maker.
This season looks brighter for the kite makers as the demand has seen a growth of 25-30 percent.
With over 500 shops ready to sell different varieties of kites, the city is expected to witness a business of Rs 50-60 million in the Jan 13-15 period. More than 6,000 persons in the city earn their livelihood from kite business.
“The demand for the kites has gone up by 40 percent this year. People in Jaipur would fly kites on Monday and Tuesday. So, it is a two-day festival in the city,” Iqbal said.
A variety of `manja’ (thread used to fly kites), costing from Rs 25 to Rs 200 per 1,000 feet, is also available in the market.
“I love to fly kites, especially on Makar Sankranti….it is just fun….you can hear people screaming from their roof tops….shouting “woh katta”……oh, it is real fun”, says Ramesh Sharma.