Basant: A spring festival turned into a storm

Basant is essentially a festival heralding spring in Pakistan and is celebrated in the province of Punjab.  The capital or Punjab, Lahore, is the hub or this fun filled activity.  The highlight of the  festival (held on 25th February this year) is kite flying.  Most people will fly kites from their rooftops to have a height advantage.  The real enthusiasts fly from open grounds following strict rules of the game.  Kite flying gets exciting when two kite flyers engage in a kite combat to cut the string of the other's kite.  Once a kite (string) has been cut and the kite has been released from its owner, joy and jubilation is expressed with slogans of "Bo Kata or Aye Bo".  This is accompanied with the blowing of drums and bugles of all kinds.  Of course Lahore is famous for its food so there is a lot of food served during the day.  It's a day of fun and colour for everyone. 

As in everything, commercialisation of the festival has raised problems.  The kite string is coated with powdered glass to enhance its cutting ability in a kite combat (known as paycha).  Some vendors have gone to extent of marketing steel wire which is stronger and sharper.  However, once a kite is cut loose in a combat, the wire falls and has in recent years led to deaths and injuries when it slit through people especially motrocyclists.  The use of steel wire has been declared illegal but its implementation has not been too effective.  Another problem during the day is the entanglement of the kite thread/wire with electric transmission wires due to which power failures are common.  Then there are accidents and even deaths when people flying kites from their rooftops, in the heat of the combat, fall off the roof while others, usually children, in the excitement of chasing a free falling kite have been run over by a vehicle.

The administration banned kite flying last year and violaters were arrested.  This year permission was granted for a few days and Basant was celebrated.  Rooftops were fun spots and there was good weather.  People flocked from other cities and countries to Lahore.  Sadly, accidents were still there and lives were lost.   The debate over how much control the State should exercise over the lives and activities of its citizens continues.  There are also those who feel that this is not an Islamic activity and should thus not be permitted.  But then does fun have a religion.  Perhaps, the State needs to organise and facilitate the festival rather than clamp down on one of the few fun filled activities of Pakistan.  Till the next Basant only the birds will fly in the skies of Lahore.

The Supreme Court has asked for casualty details after the event. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\03\01\story_1-3-2007_pg7_53