Up above the world so high

Namrata Tripathi

The 3rd Delhi International Kite Festival concluded on Sunday with a riot of colourful kites in the sky. Organised by the Delhi Tourism Department, the festival received a phenomenal participation from various professional kite flying experts from India and across the world.Famous international kite flyers Barbara Meyer from USA, Bob C from UK, Sami Sayeghs from Beirut, Tinton and Sari from Indonesia, Cho from South Korea, Antonio from France and 30 others from variour parts of India demonstrated their skills during this three-day extravaganza. Various intriguing kites were seen soaring during the festival, some of them including kites like Hexagon Stars, Sled Kites, Delta kites and Barongi kites.

Commenting on the festival, professional kyte flyer Sami Sayeghs said, ‘My experience here has been quite pleasant. It’s different from the other festivals because it has more space and a nice weather with just the right amount of wind.’ The highlight of the festival were the kite trails, which had around 150 kites on one string and the Night Kite Flying, where expert kite flyers flew kites attaching LED Lights.

A theme stall was also set up where an exhibition on the history of kites was organised to inform the visitors about this age-old art. The stall displayed various forms of kites made of cloth, bamboo, tissue paper, varying in sizes from one square inch to 70 square inch. Apart from the kite flying there were other cultural festivals engaging the visitors which included folk puppet shows, magic shows and music performances. A special Kite Making Demonstration for children was organised where professional kite flyers showcased their expertise.