Kite
Festival, Jaipur
14 January is celebrated in India as Makar Sankranti - heralding the
transition of the sun into the Northern hemisphere. It is also a big kite
day in most parts of India when children from 6 to 60 can be seen with their
heads turned to the sky. In Jaipur kites virtually blot out the sky.
Everyone joins in this riotous celebration and shouts of " Woh Kata Hai
!" reverberate from rooftops to the accompaniment of drums as
adversaries’ kites are cut down. And everyone’s an adversary! Any
kite in the sky is fair game.
Celebration
The three-day festival starts with an inauguration at the Polo Ground,
which is the venue for some serious kite flying and fighting for the three
days of the festival. The festival includes two kinds of celebrations. A
massive extravaganza follows, with Air Force helicopters releasing kites
from the sky, and hundreds of schoolchildren releasing balloons. Kites that
look like wasps, exquisite stained glass windows, graceful mythical birds
soar in the sky and the sky shimmers with magic.
Fighting kites beautifully choreographed by the wind look like poetry in
the skies, written by kite flyers from many nations. The three days of the
festival are divided into two sections. One is the Fighter Kite Competition
and the other is the more sober Display Flying and there are prestigious
trophies to be won in both categories. Every evening participants are
provided with dinner at an exotic location.
On the final day the venue of the festival shifts to the exquisite lawns of
the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the royal residence of the Maharaja of Jodhpur. The
finals of the Fighter Kite Competition and the final judging of the Display
Kites are followed by the prize distribution ceremony, the valedictory
function, and a farewell dinner with the Maharaja. As the festival draws to
an end, traditional Indian kite craftsmen prepare to return to their humdrum
lives, selling handcrafted aerial art for mere pennies.
How to Reach
By Air : Indian Airlines, Jet Airways and domestic carriers operate
regular flights to and from Jaipur. Jaipur is connected to Delhi, Mumbai,
Udaipur, Jodhpur, Aurangabad, Calcutta and Varanasi by domestic flights.
By Train: The train service to Jaipur is available from all the
major parts of the country. An excellent connection from Delhi is Shatabadi
Express that provides a fast, air-conditioned rail service. Other direct
connections to Jaipur are from Bikaner, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad,
Secunderabad, Agra, Lucknow, Mumbai, Chennai and Calcutta.
By Bus: Jaipur can be accessed from all the major places in
Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Mumbai by bus. Rajasthan roadways runs
excellent regular service of AC and Deluxe Coaches from Delhi
Hotel
Information