Riot of Colours: Tamil Nadu International Kite Festival 2022

As a kid growing up in the 90s, every summer vacation was a joyous period of time. One for the delicious mangoes and the other is associated with the joy of bonding with friends for a plethora of outdoor games. I fondly remember the anxious wait for the yearly exams to come to an end and a sense of childlike exuberance to prevail. Among the favourite pastimes was the kite flying activity. Although, I never had an opportunity to fly one myself, I was fortunate to have friends in my neighbourhood who were experienced enough to not only fly kites but also compete with flyers from the adjoining localities. The cherry on the cake was the intricacies of preparing custom kites and maanja (a specially formulated thread covered with ground glass). It was a cumbersome and painful process, but the thread made out of this combination was lethal for taking on someone in the skies. The fun part was running behind the kite, from one street to another, that has been cut-off after reigning supremacy.

TNIKF_1 — *Photograph: Spectacular aerial view of the event*

The passion for kite flying continued till late 2000’s until a spurt in incidents of snapped maanja thread injuring people on the move played spoilsport. Although, kite flying has not been prohibited, rather the use of maanja thread is considered illegal. Since then, with fewer people enthusiastically taking up kite flying, there was a gradual decline in hobbyist flyers. And, today it is near-end to this once-popular recreation pastime.

Tamil Nadu International Kite Festival:

Nearly a decade later, I was happy to see kites of various dimensions and vibrant colours dot the skies for the first-ever International Kite Festival at Mamallapuram (near Chennai) in Tamil Nadu. The gentle breeze and near-blue skies turned into a visual spectacle as professionals from the USA, Thailand, Malaysia, and India took to the skies for displaying the custom made kites. The event was organized by Global Media Box in partnership with Department of Tourism (Tamil Nadu) from Aug 13 to Aug 15, 2022. Alongside, there were live music performances featuring well-known names like Thaikuddam Bridge, Rajesh Vaidya and others producing some great foot-tapping renditions. Being a content creator, I wanted to take this opportunity to capture the moments as beautiful as possible. With prior permissions granted by the organizers, I was all set for the event with my equipment.