File photo of children flying kites. PHOTO: APP/FILE
This year, a decision announced earlier to hold a kite-flying festival from mid-February onwards in the Changa Manga forest area close to Lahore has now been abandoned, apparently after reports that chemically treated twine was still in circulation. But rather than plucking out kites, which have been a part of Lahore’s heritage for centuries, out of the skies, it is this twine apparently coming in mainly from China that needs to be tackled. A ban on it needs to be placed and enforced.
There can be no excuse for taking kite-flying and Basant away from the people of Lahore. Yes, the deaths have been tragic; but deaths occur too through traffic accidents. This does not mean a ban on vehicles; it means that we need better measures to protect those in them or on the streets.
Basant was a festival that united people across class and religion, offering an important form of entertainment to millions of youngsters, including those from deprived backgrounds. Kites, after all, cost little and stray ones can be acquired.
The ban on flying them has also caused the loss of thousands of jobs. The situation needs remedy. The tradition of kite-flying in Lahore must not be allowed to die, but passed down from one generation to the next as has traditionally been the case. If Basant can take place in large cities of India, there is no reason why we should fail to hold it on the grounds of safety which, we suspect, may be laced with hidden extremism that holds kite-flying and Basant as something that should not be acceptable in our society.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2014.
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indians can fly kites whenever they want, the things that did got banned are: 1- sati practice, 2- riding two wheelers without helmet(pillion included), 3- driving without seat belts, 4- using cellphone while driving, 5- driving while under influence of alcohol, 6- smoking in pubs(all pubs need to have a dedicated smoking zone) 7- men traveling in the ladies coach in delhi metro(u have lady cops ready to slap you) 8- diesel powered buses and autos in metro cities(delhi, mumbai, bangalore and chennai)
Hmm.. So when it was not banned, newspapers were flooded with the articles on how the children got their throats slit, or how somebody died of felling from the roof, or a motorcyclist died with injury to his throat. And now when we have had this good riddance, suddenly we start missing the unity of religions that this event used to cause.
Just sums up the journalism in Pakistan. Criticize each and everything, till the public gets frustrated to an extent that we have a shortage of mental hospitals. Keep sticking to the purpose guys.
I feel its a good decision to ban kite flying activity in Pakistan..
First of all, as a Muslim nation with Islamic constitution, we should know that in Islam only those games are allowed which has got some health benefits through physical excusion. And I don't feel kite flying has got anything like that. Plus this activity has got risks more than benefits, so its not worth.
Secondly, if prostitution helps people become employed, would you think it should be carried on and that ending it would leave people redundant and unemployed? Lol
Pakistani's are so en-tuned to follow orders of either religious leaders or Army Generals that they do not have individual control of their lives. Pakistani's celebrate festivals by banning things like ban on mobile service,Pillion riding,kite flying, movie theaters, Indian movies, Google, you tube, Facebook, NATO supply routes. No body bothers to educate people or trust judgment of people or intelligence of Joe average Pakistani.In number of countries government stay out of people's business and even in some countries road sign says drive according to weather and road conditions.
Two nations theory: People of one nation separated because they did not like flying kites and in the other nation people fly kite whenever they want to.