Spring is about to begin and people in Pakistan are preparing for the spring festival. Known as Basant Panchami, Jashan-e Baharaan, this festival is observed in Lahore, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The main attraction of Basant Panchami is kite flying. Thousands of people gather over roof tops and streets to fly kites. Kite flying competitions are held. However, Pakistani government imposed a ban on kite flying as the kites caused death to many people previously. This year, the provincial government of Punjab has lifted the ban but they have set condition for the kite sellers. I am quoting from the report published in BBC:
The government of Pakistan's Punjab province is to allow kite-flying during the Basant spring festival in February.
But officials said the kite-makers and those flying them would have to follow certain rules to minimize risk to life.
The Supreme Court outlawed the sport in 2005 after several people were killed by glass-coated or metal kite strings.
Basant, which begins on 25 February, is popular with tourists but religious leaders say kite-flying is un-Islamic. The ban will return after the festival.
According to the report, government would issue licenses to the kite and string sellers. The kite sellers would not sell metal reinforced or glass coated strings, only cotton strings are allowed, kites larger than two by two feet are not allowed and kite strings can only be coated with wheat-flour glue, dye and soft, and finely-ground glass. Last year, a four year old boy’s throat was cut by the kite string as he was riding motorcycle with his father.
Personally, I am not against such festivals. It is part of Pakistani culture and they should enjoy the festival. However, people should not have fun at the cost of other people’s lives. Punjab government has taken all the necessary safety measures which is a good thing. I wish the people of Pakistan a happy Basant Panchami.
Related articles:
BBC
Indianmuslims
Chicago Tribune
Zee News
Pakistan Times
If you want to know more about Basant Panchami, you can visit these pages:
The-South-Asian.com
Travel-culture.com
Wikipedia
its really a nice article. write more about Bangladesh also.
Posted by: animesh chandra bain | January 6, 2007 7:55 PM | Permalink to Comment