SRK, Obama set to fly high

JAIPUR: The city is gearing up for the kite festival to be held on January 14. Kite markets in the Walled City are all decked up with kites of different shapes and sizes. Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and Barack Obama will fly high in the Pink City.

Extreme weather conditions have failed to dampen people's spirit for flying kites. Colourful kites doting the skies can been seen from morning till the evening. "Kite flyers purchase in bulk in the last couple of days before the Sankranti festival. At present, the demand looks good," said kite trader, Iqubal Qureshi.

Forthcoming exams and hectic office schedules have failed to dampen the spirit of kite flyers. While some are comfortable on terrace tops, others are looking for best locales like grounds and parks. "Job pressure cannot keep us away from our passion of flying kites. We manage some time to satiate our desire," said Prashant Mathur, who for the past several days has been driving long distances on congested roads to reach the designated kite flying spots on the outskirts of the city.

Many hotels and organisations are also gearing up for the festival, which aims to attract tourist in the city. Karan Pal Singh, a hotelier, said, "We have made special arrangements for kite flying in our compound. We will provide kites and threads to our guests, besides a kite expert."

There are numerous groups in the city who are arranging terrace parties for kite flyers. However, with the return of the kite festival and mindlessness of kite freaks, motorists will have to be more cautious on roads to avoid accidents. These days, the narrow alleys of the Walled City are bustling with small kite production units with nearly 300 kite-making families in Jaipur, centred in and around the Walled City Jagannath Ka Rasta, Brahmpuri, Ramganj and Baboo Ka Tibba.

Every family involved in the kite-making business is striving hard to finish their work ahead of the festival. On a normal Friday, they stay away from work for Jumma prayers but the soaring demand for kites have kept them working this Friday.