Shrinking urban space keeps kite fliers away

BHUBANESWAR: While Makar Sankranti has brought kite flying enthusiasts out under the open skies everywhere in the state, the Bhubaneswar skyline is suspiciously empty of kites, even at the peak of the season.
One of the foremost reasons behind the lack of kite flying in the city is the unavailability of open spaces in the rising urban landscape.
"It is really surprising that there is absolutely no practice of kite flying in Bhubaneswar while in just its twin city, Cuttack, people are so madly in love with kites.Cuttack is only 20 kilometres from here but where Bhubaneswar lacks is the culture of kite flying because the modern city started growing crowded after it was declared as the state's capital in 1949," said Tejeswar Parida, chairman of the Odisha Khadi and Village Industries Board.
Longtime residents of the city hold the opinion that due to the steady squeezing of open spaces thanks to rapid urbanisation of the cityscape, a sport like kite flying that requires nothing but a kite, strings and open spaces is soon going to become a thing of the past.
"When we were children, the city was full of open spaces and playgrounds. We used to fly kites almost every day during the winters. But as the city grew, huge buildings were constructed all around and the open spaces gradually vanished. Our children have never experienced kite flying, nor can they ever enjoy the immense fun of it," said fifty-year-old Satya Narayan Parida, a resident of the Saheed Nagar area.
Kite flying festivals, which are being celebrated with great gusto everywhere in the state, have no takers in this city. "A few years ago some people had attempted to promote the traditional kite flying practice among youngsters in the city and organised a kite flying festival, but it did not receive a very good response. Some children in the Old Town area used to fly kites when we were young, but it has never been followed passionately as a hobby in the rest of the city," said Golak Bihari Mallick, a city septuagenarian.
Traditionally honoured games, however, are understood to be instrumental in developing various skills in children. "Traditions transfer from one generation to another. It is the responsibility of elders to introduce children to our cultures. But thanks to our modern lifestyle, neither parents nor children have enough time to learn these things," said Namita Mohanty, who teaches Psychology at Utkal University.