He wants his life-size kites to give a larger-than-life feel. Sunil Mange’s four-feet kite, resembling a Tinkerbell, will proudly soar the sky on Tuesday morning. Makar Sankranti is a festival that Mange looks up to and even ensures that he makes up for its absence to his family during other times of the year.
“The one I fly was bought recently. This year, I have been blessed with a baby girl and the kite is of Tinkerbell so I will be flying that one,” said Mange, a Kalyan resident who is looking to ensure that his kite crisscrosses the sky like no other.
“Flying kites is like a meditation for me. I feel relaxed when I fly kites. Since they are big, they are also easy to fly as compared to the normal ones,” said Mange, who will be flying in Kalyan itself unlike going to Juhu beach.
“Last year, I had also been to Juhu beach. The breeze is good there. But, now it is difficult,” said Mange, citing lack of time and family not being able to travel all the way.
While he will be flying Tinkerbell, Ashok Shah, another avid giant kite manufacturer and flier, has already decided to fly a few. “This time, I will try my hand at Superman, tiger, Lord Ganpati, and even a bear,” said Shah.
Shah makes kites up to 200-feet long. “This time, I even made one on Subhash Chandra Bose. His anniversary was recently marked by Azad Hind Force,” said Shah.
While Mange and Shah will be flying giant kites, kites that resemble cartoons and political motifs flooded the market.
“In my shop, we had many kites with faces of cartoon characters. We had a good stock of it. All of it sold out very soon,” said Muqeem Khan, of SS Bareilly Kites in Imambada area.