Vibrant kites adorn city skies on Sankranti

Hyderabad: Makar Sankranti celebrations kicked off in Hyderabad on Wednesday, and the city buzzed with excitement as every home engaged in festive activities, particularly the vibrant tradition of ‘patangbazi’, a spirited kite-flying competition. The clear blue sky transformed into a colourful one as kites soared high, accompanied by the joyful sounds of loudspeakers, DJs, and trumpets, creating an atmosphere filled with cheer and festivity.

With six days of holidays at a stretch, the excitement of patangbazi of all ages is coming out to soak up the festive mood. Traditional kite markets in Old City continued to remain a big draw, as a large group of young people were seen purchasing kites at markets in Gulzar Houz, Hussaini Alam, Moosa Bowli, Dhoolpet, Mangalhat, and Begum Bazaar. Temporary stalls set up at Narayanguda, Secunderabad, Ameerpet, Dilsukhnagar, and other areas also witnessed a brisk business. All through the day, hectic activities were witnessed with floodlights erected and music systems set up on rooftops. Moreover, flying kites at night in Begum Bazaar is a big draw during the festival. For kite-flying, family and friends gather on the terrace and fly their kites in the sky. Kite-flying is a great treat to watch, especially during patangbazi, in which participants try to cut each other’s kites. People enjoy competing with rivals in which one must cut and lose the string of another kite, which is also called a ‘pench.’

Ravi Yadav, a kite enthusiast at Begum Bazaar, said, “Flying kites at night is a decades-old tradition at Begum Bazaar and surrounding areas, especially in the Old City. Large numbers of families turn up on roof tops to indulge in kite flying. It is unique because kite flying is done at night, and the sky is lit up.”

Another enthusiast, Mustafa Mohsin, at Hussaini Alam, said, “The festival comes just once a year; the excitement is in the air. Yes, it is time to celebrate flying kites.”

Meanwhile, the kite and food festival at Parade Grounds also attracted lots of people, and the Necklace Road stretch saw people gathered in huge numbers. The public spaces such as Domalguda grounds, Quli Qutb Shah Stadium, Goshamahal Grounds, Nizam College Grounds, Agriculture University, Osmania University grounds, and other open spaces also saw a huge crowd for the festival.

Kites of popular characters such as Batman and Spiderman, as well as actors such as Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Mahesh Babu, and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, are in high demand. The Congress party supporters were seen flying the kite printed with images of Revanth Reddy on it.

“Traditional kites such as the dulhan patang, ek khalam, doh khalam, anda patang, zebiya, and others were sold in the traditional markets in the Old City. “Kites are usually named according to the design. A well-decorated kite is often called ‘dulhan patang,’ and a kite with two egg-shaped papers affixed to it is called ‘anda patang’,” explained Younus, a trader at Hussainialam.