Kolkata: A nearly eight-decade-old kite festival of the city – one of the oldest post Independence – remained “off the air” at Maidan on the day of Vishwakarma Puja this year. The organisers attributed the reason to the dearth of kite enthusiasts as well as the ban on the manufacture and sale of Chinese manja by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).The festival organised by Calcutta Kite Association used to draw around a thousand of kite enthusiasts in the Maidan area. “From the afternoon, the participants armed with kites of different shapes and spools of strings (latai) used to converge at the Maidan. We tried but did not find any chance to avoid the Chinese manja that has been banned. Besides, we witnessed reduced participation of enthusiasts with the onslaught of times.At the same time, many kite makers and sellers, who were also part of the festival, lost interest and shifted to other trades,” rued Nashir Ahmed, a member of the association, who used to oversee the festival. The association was formed in 1949 by Bhim Chandra Nag Sweets’ then owner, Anup Chandra Nag. The kite flying festival that began on the day of Vishwakarma Puja would continue for a week. Robin Das, a staff of the shop said, “We had a long association with kite flying. The festival has been discontinued and we did not fly kites anywhere else too.” Following the ban on Chinese manja, the festival became a low-key affair.“In the past, cops kept tabs on the use of Chinese manja that had caused injuries to bikers. It is difficult for us to ensure that all the participants would bring cotton strings. The festival brought together enthusiasts, irrespective of their caste and creed,” said Ahmed. The kite makers in Bowbazar also remained busy for the festival. Bappaditya Dutta, a kite maker, rued, “The demand for kites has slumped.”
