2 days of kai po che celebrated in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD: The sky was dotted with varied hues of kites as terraces across the city reverberated with the cries of ‘kai po che’ and ‘lapet’. Most of city roads and offices remained deserted on Tuesday as citizens marked ‘vaasi Uttarayan’, the second day of the festival, with even more zeal.

The talking point of this festive season was favourable wind. Paresh Advaryu, a resident of Anandnagar, said that good wind conditions had been gifted to the city after many years. “The joke is that the wind remains good before or after Uttarayan but never on the D-day,” he said. “But this year, kites took off without any effort, infusing enthusiasm in the elderly and children alike. Flying conditions were good till Tuesday afternoon, doubling the fun.”

Terrace parties — with servings of undhiyu, puri, and jalebi — enticed people, even as many observed that the general participation was a bit lower than usual. Kalrav Shah, a resident of Paldi, said that a reason could be the extended weekend. “Many of our relatives decided to make the most of the Saturday-to-Monday holiday and decided to make a quick trip. We thus had more people on the terrace on Tuesday compared to Monday,” he said.

Walled City terraces hosted the world as kitists and enthusiasts from different countries observed the famed celebration and inter-terrace rivalry first-hand. Over 50 terraces were hired by different groups and individuals in areas such as Khadia, Raipur, and Kalupur. The ban on Chinese lanterns marked the return of traditional ‘tukkals’ — lanterns attached to kite string — in many city areas.