Nahan: The tradition of kite flying on Raksha Bandhan is fast fading away as only a few residents of the town were seen flying kites on Tuesday. Traditionally, it’s the day when families get together on rooftops and enjoy kite flying, usually with music. Once these kites offered an amazing spectacle with colourful kites of all shapes and sizes flying against the backdrop of an azure skyline. The erstwhile ruler, Shamsher Parkash, started kite flying on this festival. Parkash ruled for 42 years from 1856 to 1898, the time when kite flying was introduced in the town. It was the time when residents of the town started preparing for the kite festival a month before Raksha Bandhan. However, this year, the craze for kite flying was less as compared to previous year. Earlier, people use to prepare twine or manjha for kite flying manually. It was done by applying a paste of wheat flour, finely powdered glass, color and other secret ingredients (everyone used to have his own) over a special thread and letting it dry. But the practice subsided gradually as it was time consuming and much better readymade options were available in market. NRI Vicky Tomar, 35, said he travelled from the USA for flying kites, but he was surprised to see that the craze had declined and the tradition might vanish completely in coming years. “Children now have internet, TV and computer games. A young boy would prefer to spend an hour in an air-conditioned internet cafe or his room instead of burning himself under the sun,” said Vishal Tomar and Sandeev Kashyap of the town. Member of the erstwhile Royal family Kanwar Ajay Bhadur Singh says, “The maharaja of Sirmaur used to give rewards to people who cut the twine of the maharaja’s kite and to one who caught it. The twine of the ruler was polished by artisan late Amardaraj with special methods.” The town was once famous for kite flying in north India. A few years ago, people used to gather in groups at Choggan ground to fly kites, but such activities were not spotted this year. During the competitions, the winner of kite fights, one cutting most kites, was entitled as “Banoo” of the town in the princely state regime, said Singh.
Residents flying kites on in Nahan