The Day of Kite Flying in Kolkata...

The day of kite flying in Kolkata is the day the city celebrates Vishwakarma Puja. The tradition of kite flying is slowly disappearing as more and more highrises are adorning the city's skyline. My husband is very passionate about flying kite - this year that we are in Kolkata, he made sure that he introduced our four-year old to this childhood passion of his. I have heard stories how he and his brother would prepare days ahead making the 'manja' - the abrasive string used to fly the kite - by adding color, some kind of adhesive and powdered glass to cotton strings. I also learned that there are different names given to kites... Petkati, Ekronga, Ghoyla, Mookhpora, Mombaati depending on how each looks like.. and something that my little one learned was to shout "BhNooo Kaatta.." each time his father's kite string entangled around someone else's kite string and brought it down.

Here are some snapshots from the day....