MillenniumPost
Bengal

Kite competition passes off with flying colours

Kolkata: Kites may not have flown in large numbers in the Kolkata sky on Sunday- the day of the Viswakarma Puja but the sight at Eco Park was in stark contrast as the blue firmament above the waterbody had plenty of kites. This was all thanks to the kite flying competition hosted by the West Bengal Housing & Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO).
The kite flying competition drew as many as 36 participants and the ambience was of fun and frolic. For every participant, there was some cheerleaders offering to hold the spool, give advice and cry "bhokatta" whenever someone cut another kite's thread.
"The concept behind holding the festival is revival of the old art of kite flying. We wanted to lure the youth away from virtual games like Pokemon Go and back to traditional sports. However, here the enthusiasm was quite high and everybody enjoyed a lot. There were three prizes and the third prize went to a person who is our own office staff," a senior HIDCO official said. There was a panel of judges who decided the winners. Some of the HIDCO officials viewed the contest from a boat on the waterbody. The event was followed by a live band performance. Kite flying was introduced by Nawab Ali Shah when he came to Metiabruz and settled there before the Sepoy Mutiny. It soon became a popular sport and many aristocrats, both in East and West Bengal, were found flying kites with currency notes tagged on them.
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