Gandhinagar, Dec 30 (IANS) The International Kite Festival is an annual kite festival held in Gujarat to celebrate Uttarayan – the days marking the transition of winter to summer. The tradition of flying kites during Makar Sakranti has existed in the state for decades, and people start preparing kites months in advance.

As the Uttarayan (when kite flying festival is organised) approaches, the kite markets in Ahmedabad and other districts of Gujarat are flooded with a wide variety of kites and the ones designed after PM Modi have found a strong connection with the kite buyers and are selling like hot cakes.

The customised kites also carry slogans linked to government programs, meant to spread social awareness.

The slogans, highlighting achievements of Modi government, read like “Atmanirbhar Bharat,” “Operation Sindoor,” “Beti Padhao Beti Bachao,” “New Thinking, New Hope,” “Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai,” “The World’s Largest Political Party,” “Development Means Modi,” “Har Ghar Tiranga,” “Save Water, Water is Life,” “My Pride is Hindustan,” “Vande Mataram,” and “If you don’t save your daughters, where will you get girls like Sofia and Vyomik Singh?”

These slogans have been printed on the kites and have found strong demand in the markets.

One kite has the slogan, “World leaders are crazy about Modi, and Indian leaders are crazy because of Modi.”

These kites have aroused curiosity among the buyers who are flocking to the shops to buy them. Also, traders are upbeat and optimistic about record sales, stressing that message-based designs attract a sizeable number of buyers during the festive season.

Trader Iqbal Bhai Bahelim said, “The kite business has been going on for years, but when Narendra Modi became Gujarat Chief Minister, he popularised the festival and made it more vibrant. Because of the Kite Festival, this business has grown five to six times.”

Iqbal Bhai Bahelim has also been awarded by the government for making kites with social awareness messages.

Another kite maker, Narayan, told IANS, “I have been making kites here for 15 years. This year, kites featuring Modi Sahab are in very high demand, and our orders have increased significantly.”

The popularity of Modi-themed kites has also given an impetus to the kite-making business, providing livelihoods to thousands.

Notably, the International Kite Festival, which has been held in Ahmedabad since 1989, as the official celebration of Uttarayan, brings master kite makers and flyers from across the world to demonstrate their unique creations and wow the crowds with highly unusual kites.

–IANS

mr/dan