The phrase go fly a kite has been very popular for ages and used in circumstances in which one party has time to kill and is seeking advice how best to utilize that time in a harmless yet entertaining manner. You will be surprised to know that kite flying is not such a useless pastime but has been a pioneer in scientific research. It was in 1752 that the famous Benjamin Franklin published an account of a kite experiment to prove that lightning was caused by electricity.

Kites were also used in research by the Wright brothers, and others, in the development of the first aeroplane in the late 1800s. Actually, the period from 1860 to about 1910 became the European “golden age of kiting” not so much as to how to waste your time but in the advancement of research that over the years have bloomed into mind-boggling discoveries that have in many ways revolutionized the aviation and other industries.

The sad thing about human inventions is the fact that if successful sooner or later they are used to wage and support war in one shape or the other. It is not different with kites. In ancient times kites were used as an effective weapon in war. Primarily for high altitude spying on enemies’ forces. After its introduction into India the kite further evolved into the fighter kite known as the Patang, now thousands are flown every year on different festivals, and it is not limited to just flying a kite for the pleasure of it but to cut the string of other kites flying at the same time. I have a suspicion that this aspect of kite flying was rigorously supported by sellers of kites as previously they could only sell kites that would last a long time and not encourage more buying as happens now when your kite is lost as a result of the competition to determine who cuts the threads of other kites.

Kite flying in Pakistan became rather dangerous as in their enthusiasm to cut each other’s strings the simple cotton strings were turned into lethal weapons when the kite string was treated with chemicals and even ground glass. These strings were especially lethal for motorcycle riders as the sharp glass treated thread floating in the air landed on their necks with obviously tragic results. Many appeals were made, but the incidence of such tragedies kept increasing forcing the government to impose a full ban on kite flying. It was not just the kite string causing casualties but also kite strings falling on electric wires while being held by kite flyers that electrocuted a large number of Basant enthusiasts. There was not only human loss of life but also material damages in the form of electric short-circuiting that damaged electrical equipment of the utilities.

In the early days of Pakistan there were hardly any high-rise buildings in Karachi and populations lived in open areas like Jacob Lines, PIB and Nazimabad. This was very conducive to kite flying, and it was a popular sport of the time though in some families it was looked down upon as not suitable for a respectful young man, and they were given different labels such as Patangbaaz and young men were encouraged to stay away from such individuals. This was in the same category as playing marbles, which too was frowned upon by the elders of the time. These were conservative times and young men and women were greatly restricted by their elders in every phase of life, including sports of every kind.

Coming back to kite flying, the much awaited Basant festival allowed by the Punjab Government after several years was marred by a terrorist attack in Islamabad and considerably toned down specially as far as the government’s participation was concerned. More or less the Basant celebrations in Punjab went smoothly and also had a healthy participation by foreign guests. Special attention was paid to the safety of the common man with emphasis on installation of safety rods on motorcycles. The kite sellers did a roaring business and prices of kites literally hit the sky. With the Lahore sky dotted with kites of all colours, shapes and sizes it seems the whole of Lahore had taken to heart the ancient instruction of “Go fly a kite”.

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