I was pleasantly surprised at the number of folks flying kites in Mumbai. It's after many years that I've spent Sankrant in Mumbai and it was worth it.
We bought kites from a shop outside Vile Parle West station. We got the big tailed Rajasthan artisans made kites. These kites have a large rounded tail that fuses into the body of the kite. These kites are really versatile, they handle well and are really good for kite fighting.
Some them turned out to be a bit light and did not turn well. But the one I flew on Saturday 13th was a wonderful blue and black kite and I cut 10 kites with it, and remained undated.
We even got great manja (thread). This year, I got a little thicker manja (12 thread). It was really sharp and strong.
My 11 year old son also flew with me this time. I bought him his own firki and he cut 6 kites. He was super excited to have won the kite duels. Other times he lost his kites and sometimes he did not even realize that the duel was on. It's all part of learning to survive in the sky. My wife helped him catch his firki and she flew some kites too.
My dad who is 78 years old also flew with us. He taught me kite flying as a kid and I remember those days when he used to hold my firki for hours as I enjoyed my kites. Here's a photo of my father flying, I was so pleased to see he has not lost his touch.
As we returned to the US, I got some of those broad tailed kites with me. In Minneapolis, where I live, we have the Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival. For those of you who don't live in cold weather, the lake freezes in winter and you can walk on it. In fact cars and trucks can also drive on the lakes once they are frozen. I intend to take some of my kites to fly on the lake this time.
This year I did not take enough video footage to create a good video clip. Maybe next year.
Kites flying is such a good sport - you get to go outdoors, improve your eyesight, sharpen your reflexes and look up into the beautiful, vast expanse of our universe. Go fly, soar high and have fun!
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