09 February 2004	Monday	17 Zilhaj 1424

LAHORE, Feb 8: Basant this year is being celebrated in the city with a threat to the future of its basic component - kite-flying - because of increasing number of deaths resulting from the slitting of throats of people by twine and electrocution caused by metal wires of stray kites landing on overhead high-tension wires.

Although Lahorites kept themselves busy in dress rehearsal of Basant on Sunday, the city is yet to see the usual rush at shops selling kites and twine. High-level official meetings are also being held regularly to plan how to minimize the risks of loss of lives because of the traditional sport of the ancient city otherwise known for its "harmlessness and potential for camaraderie."

Most of the shopkeepers have not invested blindly in the business -- many say they had less time to prepare for the occasion -- because of the feared re-imposition of the ban, which was slapped seven months ago in view of the killing of people.

They are pleading that kite-flying should not be banned, as it is a harmless sport made dangerous by some elements. "Punish them sternly and promptly and everything will be all right, they urge the government.

"Fouls are played in every game, but these are not taken as a pretext to ban them. Only steps are taken to save the games from such fouls," a shopkeeper of city's Mochi Gate wholesale kite market argues.

The ban was lifted for a month by the Punjab chief minister, who warned just three days ago against re-imposition of the ban in view of the loss of lives during the past few days.

The kite-flying has been endangered by three main factors -- the use of thick string covered with rough ground glass, nylon string and metal wire. The thick string is used to cut the twine of an opponent by a sudden strike against the traditional practice of cutting it through a long-drawn contest (paicha).

The nylon string and metal wire are used to catch a stray kite. Previously, few people used to catch kites only for themselves. But, the re-sale value of the looted kites afterwards made a large number of people start catching these with new but dangerous methods like spearheading their string with metal wires to easily entangle the twine of a stray kite.

All these methods have, nevertheless, proved harmful for the people and power installations. There had been repeated power breakdowns, slitting of throats by sharp twine and electrocution of people.

Kite-flying was made dangerous for the first time in the early 1980's when people adopted aerial firing to jubilate instead of raising the traditional slogan of "Bo kata" after cutting the kite of an opponent. This practice continued to kill hundreds of people in the succeeding years, but was controlled when the government decided to use Basant for showing the world that Pakistan was a liberal and peace-loving country.

"Basant brings peak of our business, but we have not been able to prepare for it because of the ban and the threat to the sport," said Mahmood Ahmad, a trader of Mori Gate, known for his best quality twine.

Talking to Dawn on Sunday, Mahmood said his family was in the business for the past over 50 years during which it never experienced any crisis. "Around 150 members of my family are directly or indirectly involved in the business. Many of them turned to other businesses for earning bread for their children following the ban," he said.

Kites and twine are manufactured and stored round the year, but are stocked only according to the ratio of their disposal or demand. The ban has nearly ruined many, who had stocked these before the sudden ban seven months ago.

"My kites and twine have been damaged by the monsoon moisture and termite," Muhammad Ramzan of Mochi Gate said. He complained that many shopkeepers were selling the defective stocks to make up for their loss, quipping: "It's like selling rotten eggs, but we have no other way to recover money," he admitted.

The billion-rupee business involves different aspects like producing raw string, its coating, manufacturing of plastic cones, their steel handles and kite paper, and import of bamboo, mainly from Bangladesh.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including women and children, earn their livelihood by making kites in their home factories in the city and localities around it.

There have been reports of someone committing suicide because of the ban on the kite business while others have started working at shops or in fruit and vegetable markets to earn livelihood for their families.

"I am now selling chicken to feed my children after my relatives refused to lend me some money for paying my electricity bill," said Iqbal, who is the son of Lahore's grand kite-maker Ustad Natha, of Lohari Mandi.

Mahmood of Mori Gate said he was a well-off person in his family before the ban on the business, but was now under huge debt. "I had to sell my jewellery and borrow money to pay school fees of my children," he added.

Several shopkeepers at Lohari and Bhati Gates said they used to borrow money to stock kites and twine for Basant, but this time they had avoided doing so and were running their business at a small scale.

Firasat Butt of Mochi Gate's famous Baqar Guddi House is running his family business established 150 years ago. An importer of kite paper and a wholesale dealer of kites and twine, he described the crisis as unprecedented.

He said no kite seller was selling nylon string or metal wire. All of them had also stopped producing or selling thick twine because they, like other traders, wanted to run their business in a smooth manner. "Firing can be controlled overnight if the government desires so," he believed.

Others said the government could use Nazims and councillors or other opinion leaders for educating people on the hazards of applying foul methods of kite flying. "Weed out the villains instead of going after the harmless game," they suggested.

The government, they said, should also allow kite-flying in grounds only outside the limits of the city. Those who flew patang normally used thick twine and attracted looters to catch the stray kites with tandi or metal wire, they said.

"Basant and kite-flying depict culture of Lahore, which has withstood many objections in the past. Everybody must play its role for making it a harmless sport," the businessmen said.