|
|
|
Basant fever
The annual kite-flying season of basant has finally arrived and is being celebrated with great fervour with hype and extravagant designs on kites that can be as big as a small room. This nation is known to enjoy even when the worst of calamities hits the region, hence: ‘basant must go on.’
The festival heralds the end of winter and arrival of spring. For its fans, kite flying is pure fun. And even though it is a pastime round the year, it’s basant that draws sheer blood between competitors, on February 17.
The festival, like any other forms of entertainment, has also attracted its share of controversies and dilemmas. Some say it is a Hindu festival thus it should not be celebrated. Then there are those that say it is a sheer waste of money and time. Yet people continue to celebrate the festival with the same fervour with which they did some years back.
The entire country eats, breathes and dreams of kites. They fly from every corner, nook and crevice of every rooftop and terrace in Lahore. Even such uncommon sites such as boys flying kites from bedroom windows and cars become a routine activity. Every shape, colour and size of kites hang decoratively from shop windows. The celebration is so popular that it draws foreign diplomats, stationed here and Pakistani expatriates around the world to enjoy the ambience of the festival. Lahore saw the world’s top businessmen who were here for a conference having a ball.
Kite manufacturers have a field day making kites of every size and colour. In fact one could easily describe this as a sort of cottage industry involving women and children. It is once in a year when these people make enough bread money.
Earlier, at least about two decades ago, raw material for kites and string used to be imported rather than the local raw material being used for their making. The paper used to come from Germany and Sweden while bamboo from Bangladesh and thread from England. Later, Indian thread took over the market because of its fine quality and low prices. However, now Pakistani string is available only as it’s cost is less.
The imported paper has also been replaced with low-cost Pakistani paper. But like other things, the quality is not as good as that of the kites in the past. Hence those who want quality kites, meaning foreign kites, have to pay higher than the normal market rates.
As compared with Lahore basant, in Karachi, is lowkeyed. The aura that the event surrounds is there but the fact of the matter is that when basant comes people fly to the greener pastures of Punjab. Thus basant was celebrated a week earlier in Karachi as many of the elite would have flown to Lahore on 17th for the actual event.
However, what one does object to are the lavish dinners and money spent on the ocasion — the Jones trying to outdo their neighbours. One can easily enjoy the celebration just as much within the limits.
|
|
|
|
