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Lucknow: Hundreds of
kites resembling butterflies, dragons, fish and birds Thursday
fluttered in the Lucknow sky, particularly in the old city where
Hindus, Muslims and others came together to celebrate the festival
of Jamghat.
The festival falls a day after Diwali.
"For those of us in Old Lucknow, Jamghat is a festival that helps
maintain social relationships," Assad Ahmad, 64, a kite enthusiast
and retired government employee in Aminabad locality, told IANS.
"The festival in a true sense reflects communal harmony as Hindus
and Muslims come together to fly kites and exchange sweets," he
added.
In several localities, including Hussainganj, Batashey-wali-gali,
Chaupatiya, Chowk, Daliganj and the banks of Gomti, kite
enthusiasts formed teams and challenged each other to showcase
their prowess and supremacy in the battle of the skies.
Besides the traditional kites, people opted for Chinese kites
because of their attraction quotient. However, professionals
preferred the "desi" ones.
"Chinese kites are mainly made of plastic sheets whereas Indian
ones are made of paper. Chinese kites require windy conditions.
The desi ones can be manoeuvred in almost all conditions," said
Mohd Usman, the owner of a kite shop in Hussainganj.
According to popular belief, Jamghat started off as a hobby when
Lucknow was ruled by nawabs almost a century ago. It has become a
tradition that has a large number of followers of different age
groups.
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