PATNA: The city is gearing up to celebrate
kite festival, christened 'Patang Umang Utsav', at Gandhi Maidan on January 14. The event to be organized by Shri Krishna Smarak Samiti, a wing of Patna commissioner's office, is open for all.
The event will be organized from 11am to 2pm. There will also be cultural programme, including dance and song, during the event.
Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor on Sunday appealed to the people to participate in large numbers in the kite festival, which will have two competitions — one for kite flying and another for slogan writing.
In slogan writing competition, the participants have to write slogans related to various government programmes, including seven resolves (saat nishchay), child marriage and dowry, prohibition, swachh Bihar, smart and green Bihar. The winners will be given handmade art and craft items from Upendra Maharathi Shilp Anusandhan Sansthan.
Kishor said kite flyers of international fame like Sujeet Choudhary and Dabaljeet Choudhary from New Delhi would showcase their talent and teach people about the tactics of kite flying. People can either come with the kite or they can buy designer kites which are being brought from New Delhi. There will also be a counter selling packaged dahi-chura, tilkut and jalebi for Rs50 each packet.
Kishor has strictly asked people not to use 'Chinese manja' during the kite festival. He also assured the participants of proper safety and said magistrates and cops in sufficient number would be deployed at Gandhi Maidan. Talking about kites, Kishor said, "A kite flies high in the sky because of the strong base it is attached to. Similarly, those having strong principles reach the zenith in their lives."
However, there will be no kite festival this year in the Ganga diara, which used to be an annual event organized by state tourism department on the occasion of Makar Sankranti every year.
The decision was taken keeping in mind the boat tragedy which had claimed 24 lives on the Makar Sankranti day last year.
