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Kai po che! Colourful kites take to the skies in Jaipur

January 14, 2015 08:36 IST

Kite flyers from India and abroad showed their skills of flying kites on the first day of kite festival which kicked off here on Tuesday.

Kite flyers prep the Chitrakoot Stadium in Jaipur before taking flight. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

Kite flyers from the USA, Canada, UK, Holland, Belgium, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia participated on the first day of the two-day event which has been organised to celebrate festival of 'Makar Sankranti' at Chitrakoot Stadium in Jaipur.

A strikingly designed kite reminiscent of a Vedic deity. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

Kites measuring across 4 to 5 metres and in different shapes and sizes such as dragon-shaped, birds, fish and others were flown in the sky.

One of the many tourist who came in town to take part in the kite festival. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

Kite flyers from different parts of the country including Mumbai, Mangalore, Rajkot also brought their colourful creations to fill the skies of Jaipur.

This tourist walks about the stadium trying to find the right gust of air to get his kite skybound. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

A number of kite makers partook in the festival organised by the department of tourism with private partners, a statement said.

A kite flyer trying to get his kite up in the air. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

Kite flying is a popular activity on the occasion on Makar Sankranti which is celebrated on January 14.

Getting kites up in the air is no monkey business, as this flyer seems to be finding out the hard way. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

Sale of kites and glass laced thread (manjha) peaked today with people, mostly young, purchasing kites of different shapes and sizes and manjhas for Makar Sankranti.

The festival saw many a variety of kites including the more esoteric designs seen here. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

Markets like Haldiyon Ka Rasta, Handipura and others are flooded with kites and other materials.

Flyers take joy as the kites elevate higher with each wave of wind. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

On the day of Makar Sankranti, the skyline of the city is dotted with colourful kites.

This flyer shows complete control of his kite as it moves through eddies of air. Photograph: Chandra Mohan Aloria/Rediff.com

This year, kites bearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face are much in demand.

"Besides regular designs, people are crazy about fancy kites having pictures of the prime minister. These are selling like hot cakes," a kite trader Prakash Panwar said.

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