BENGALURU: Kite-flying, one of the main attractions of the Suggi Huggi Sankranti Habba at Lalbagh, provided an opportunity to city’s dwellers to try their hand at flying kites.
As kite flying is not practised as much in South India as it is in Northern and Western parts of the country, the local residents are not adept in it. To make things tougher, the wind was playing traunt on Sunday evening across the big rock at Lalbagh. But that did not stop people from turning up in big numbers and trying hard to launch their kite into the sky.
Among the enthusiasts was 85-year-old Ganapathy, who had last flown a kite during his childhood. He was trying to launch his kite but the wind was not in his favour. “I wish there was more wind today. During my childhood days I could fly kites well, and it would be windy during Sankranti,” he said. He pointed out how a kite seller had tied the string incorrectly.
Naveen Rajan, another person who was trying hard to fly his kite, said, “The only time my kite flew was on a beach.”
Varun Sait, though he said he was not skilled at flying kites, fared better. There came a point when he was aiming at taking down a few other kites.
However, not everyone struggled. The city has a good number of Gujaratis and Rajasthanis, for whom flying kites is second nature. Many of them too turned up at Lalbagh, glad to avail the opportunity. “This is the first time I have seen so many kites in Bengaluru. Thanks to this, our children became aware of our custom,” said Sushil Sancheti.
Another person from Gujarat, Shivam Patel, managed to cut an incredible 15 other kites. When asked if he would touch 100, he laughed, and said, “It does not work every time. My second kite was cut without taking down even one.”
Habba highlights
The Department of Agriculture has been promoting organics and millets, and one main event is the International Trade Fair in Organics and Millets to be held on January 19. The Suggi Huggi Habba was the precursor to this.
It is a joint effort by the departments of Kannada and Culture, Agriculture, Horticulture and Handicrafts, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, MCA, Akshaya Patra Foundation.
The Suggi Huggi Habba will lead into a week-long celebration of the state’s leadership in organics and millets, with the International Organics and Millets Fair, which will also feature a first-ever award show for farmers innovating in organic agricultural practices.