Authors: Ben Ruhe
Date Submitted: August 31, 2003
Article Type: Journal

What with the war in Iraq and the severe acute respiratory syndrome scare, travel agent Ajay Prakash of Bombay found himself with time on his hands. His response? Write a booklet about the kites of India.

Literate, direct, not too complex, the small volume fits a need in the subcontinent, he notes, since “there is such a dearth of any kind of organized kite material in India. A lot of school kids in the big cities really have no kite knowledge at all.” The booklet has been issued under the aegis of the Nomad Heritage Trust, a foundation dedicated to “the preservation of all things uniquely Indian.”

Prakash is a Nomad trustee. The book deals with the Patang, or Indian fighter kite, diamond-shaped but with subtle variations. Flying these kites is a huge sport in India. On Makar Sankranti, January 14, the great traditional Indian kite festival day, millions——literally millions——of people crowd the rooftops in such cities as Jaipur and Ahmedabad to fly kites, picnic, and generally have fun. The kites are supplied with cutting line——ground glass applied to the line with a paste——and the object is to slice other kites out of the sky. This fighting is so enthusiastic and so skillful fallen kites give some trees the appearance of Christmas trees.

PDF Link: Journal Issue