THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: This April, fly kites of myriad shapes and sizes and be part of a movement aimed at making one of the popular haunts in the city barrier free.
The bright azure sky of Kovalam will be bespectacled with kites of all sizes and shapes for two days, as it hosts the second edition of the Barrier Free International Kite Festival. Organised by the city-based NGO Helping Hands (H2O) organisation in association with the One India Kite team, the event offers a platform for differently-abled children and individuals to come and claim the public space and have a gala time at the beach.
Themed on 'Let us fly to break barriers', the festival is aimed at creating a barrier-free and inclusive space for the differently-abled. “Public places should be inclusive and barrier-free. We are trying to turn the Kovalam beach temporarily accessible to people who use assistive devices,” says Jolly Johnson, founder of H2O.
“To make the beach permanently accessible, we need governmental help. So we are trying to make it accessible at least for two days so that they get to enjoy some quality time in the beach,” she says.
As many as 700 differently-abled will participate in the beach carnival. The festival will also see seven international kite flyers from five countries showcase their kite flying skills. Close to 50 professional kite flyers will fly their kites and enliven up the two-day event. This is also a fundraising event of the NGO to further its activities. Kites made of paper will be kept for sale.
A variety of events have been planned this time such as workshops on kite flying, games, a kite making activity area, photography workshops, street magic, band performances along with a flea market. In all, 50,000 people are expected to attend the event. Moreover, this time, the message will be taken across the state, with the kite flyers taking the message of barrier-free and inclusivity till north Kerala.
The event will be held on a smaller scale at Fort Kochi and Kannur. It will be held on April 27 and 28 in the city.