Basant – Kite Flying Spring Festivity in Lahore

The celebrations, that would begin a night before, usually included kite flying under the flood lights on the roof, bonfires, loud music accompanied by occasional bhangras subject to the results of warring kites entangled in the night sky above and the wonderful smell of BBQ. All the family members gather at one place to enjoy basant. The one who has highest roof. Women and young girls wears traditional dresses, preferably the color yellow and adorn themselves with flowers and bangles of yellow color.

Family Get Together

Men would reserve some amount of their earning to purchase for themselves or sponsor their young ones buying strings and a variety of kites. Aspiring kite fliers would keenly embark upon their journey of learning with little feats like offering kanni (holding the kite for the flier so he/she could easily air). That would then qualify the young participants to hold a pina, the round ball of string and eventually lead to flying a kite and participating in the ultimate battle, the paicha. Each paicha would result in one winning team, registered by their claptrap and complemented with dhol, baja and hooting. Boys on the street runs to snatch their share of happiness by looting disentangled kites sometimes flying them, at others selling them dearly.

Impact on Economy and Businesses Association

It’s actually costing the government nothing and the government can make money. The Punjab government should be announcing basant a year in advance so that people all over the world can make plans. The ban on basant is a great cultural loss for Lahore and Pakistan. Basant is the best event to show to the world the real face of Pakistan. The Punjab government, the federal government and the inept Tourism Department need to stop wasting public money and invest in preparations for a proper basant.The things we can sell from Pakistan are basant and Sufi music. Any foreigner that will visit Pakistan during these two days will go back saluting Pakistan.

Decoration of a Tree on Basant Festival

How can we make Basant safe?

To start with, you have to ban motorcycles from Saturday night to Sunday evening because a majority of accidental deaths have been of motorcyclists. Secondly, there are two companies manufacturing these dangerous strings. The issue is not kite-flying or celebrating the festival; it’s about the deadly string. Children are buying these strings regardless of the danger these put their lives in. So, the manufacturers should be held accountable. Thirdly, aerial firing has to be stopped.

Ban on Basant

The ban on Basant is a great cultural loss to Lahore and to Pakistan. Basant is way to show the world that Pakistan is more than a dark, squalid playground of terrorists. Pakistan can use Basant as an event to improve cross-border relations, invite actors and singers, promote sale of our regional crafts, to hold exhibitions and most importantly, to give out a strong peace statement.

Following are the reasons for which basant is banned now:

1. Deadly wires: There is a cry for banning string that has been coated with glass or is made of wire as this results in hundreds of deaths each season, but this has failed. In Lahore, where the crime rate is on the rise, it’s unreasonable to pin our hopes on the incompetent police. It is unlikely that they will put in the effort required to stop the illegal manufacturing and sales of metal string.

2. Falling to their death: The fishnets and metallic wires are not the only problem. During the festival, people are up on their roof tops flying kites but there are thousands of houses in Lahore that do not have guard railings to prevent people from falling. Hundreds of children and adults fall off roof tops every Basant. Many die, many break limbs while others are left paralyzed.

3. Basant is fun for the rich: People riding bicycles and motorcycles are inconvenienced on Basant, as they are not allowed to drive their vehicles. It’s an unfair law that applies only to people belonging to a low socio-economic class.

4. Aerial firing: Another problem is of people accidentally getting shot. I can recall stories of people firing into the sky and the bullets eventually piercing right through an innocent bystander’s skull.

Despite severe criticism raised on it over years, people still like to celebrate it with all the zest and energy. The busy and hectic life of the modern city comes to ab end but these festivities keep them hooked up on their roof tops. Also, it helps more like a therapy in reviving a new spirit to refresh the upset hearts, and so to add all the energy to the life of people.

Sadly, the glories of Basant have died down since the past few years.