Patriotism flies high this Sankranthi

It is that time of the year again when the city skyline is dotted with kites in every hue imaginable. Sankranthi is here finally, and

Hyderabad’s patang baaz

have been ready with their charkas and manja for the big showdown of the D day. every gully and chabutra has people competing to see whose kite flies the highest and who slays the most number of kites. But what are Hyderabadis flying this year? Hyderabad Times took a stroll down the 100-yr-old patang bazaar that pops up at Gulzar Houz each year to find out...

TIRANGA, MODI KITES DOT HYDERABAD SKY

Tiranga kites are the best sellers this Sankranthi. Abdul Raoof, a kite seller at Gulzar Houz says, “Hum chalees saal se patanga bechre. Har saal kuch tho bhi naya variety aathi, iss saal tho bache poore tirange ki patanga puchre.” “Ab jo trending mei hai wohi patang udaana hai na...,” quips Shamsher, a teen from Malakpet, with a shy smile, as Abdul binds up a bunch of tricolour kites for him. Kites with slogans like ‘I love India’, ‘Vande Mataram’ etc are selling like hotcakes and so are patangs bearing pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

KIDS MAKE A BEELINE FOR PUBG KITES

Forget kites with Bollywood and Hollywood stars. This Sankranthi, it’s all PUBG kites are the real craze, especially among the younger lot. “Itne din mobile mei PUBG khelte the. ab tho hum PUBG patangaan kheench kheench ke uddayenge aur aasmaan me PUBG khelenge,” says Sridhar Reddy, a student who was spotted stocking up on PUBG kites in various styles.

DULHAN PATANG
Made with many pieces of paper in six colours glued together skillfully, the dulhan patang is the kite of choice for seasoned patangbaaz

TRADITIONS STILL FLY HIGH

Adityanath, a kite seller from

Begum Bazaar

assures us that traditional paper kites still has takers. “Ab toh market mein bahut variety ke patangaa aa gaye. Yeh saal thoda accha hey paper ka patang khareed lere log. Buying paper kites helps traditional craftsmen. The government should take an initiative to see that this art is not lost.” The traditional varieties in demand include kadi kamp, gol kamp, zebiya, langot, ek kalam, do kalam and the special dulhan patang, which has six colours in one kite. Dulhan is the kite of choice for seasoned patangbaaz.

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