MERCES, JAN 3
An international kite flying festival will be held in Belgaum on January 16 and 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m, an initiative which has been taken by Belgaum MLA Abhay Patil.
Abhay informed that 15 National teams and 5 international teams will participate in the festival, which will be however of non-competitive nature. He said that the aim is to revive the tradition of kite flying in the region and also to expose local talent to the finer aspects of kite flying.
“Coaching camps will be held for school students, wherein the captains of each team will guide them on the basics of kite flying,” he informed at a press conference in Panjim on Monday.
Stating that it is the first time that such a festival is being held in North Karnataka, Abhay said that it will incur an expenditure of Rs 30 lakh. “We have approached the Karnataka Government for financial help. However, it has shown no interest thus far,” he added.
Abhay said that the motive behind holding a press conference in Goa was to get wide publicity in the local press, which in turn can attract kite flying enthusiasts and tourists visiting Goa to make the festival a grand success.
V K Rao, one of the first competitive kite flyer in India, informed that a length of a kite can range from as small as 3 cms to over 40 feet. “As for the design, it depends on the choice of the team, which could range from dragons to eagles, etc,” he added.
Highlighting on the special feature of the festival, Rao said that enthusiasts will have an opportunity to witness night kite flying, wherein the participants will illuminate their kites using lamps, candles or other electrical devices.
When questioned how the points are awarded at competitions, Rao said that it depends on the design, control and other aspects. On the material used for making kites, he said that fabric material is used, which is not available in India and has to be imported from foreign countries.
TTAG president Gaurish Dhond and MLA Mahadev Naik also spoke. Chaitanya Kulkarni compered.
