High demand, low supply put Kolkata kite sellers in a bind

KOLKATA: Bappaditya Dutta, who has been in the business of selling kites for the past 23 years, says he has never seen such demand for kites in the city. But the demand has not translated into profits as Dutta claims there is dearth in steady supply of good kites from neighbouring states, resulting in demand and supply gap. This has led to a spike in prices.
“Ever since I opened my shop a week before the Independence Day, customers have been thronging here. Such has been the rush that even at 10.30pm, I find it difficult to close my shop. There have been occasions, when cops had to interfere in driving customers out of my shop,” says Dutta, proprietor of Abhiba Kites on Creek Row.

Souvik Ghosh of Airplay Gobindo in Fariapukur, one of the oldest kite shops in the city, also shares a similar experience. “Lockdown triggered sales of kites and Ludo. But after shutdown, several kite artisans in Bareily and Lucknow — the hubs of kite manufactures in India — returned to their homes and also changed professions. As a result, even though there is huge demand, supply is low,” says Ghosh.
With all outdoor sporting activities barred since the start of lockdown and terraces turning out to be the only hangout zones, thousands of kites made an earlier-than-usual appearance dotting the Kolkata skyline for months now.
While many say they have renewed their bonding with the childhood sport, others are learning the art of flying for the first time during this lockdown. They can be seen heading to terraces in the evening leaving their favourite mobile games.
“I used to fly kites when I was young. But during this lockdown, with nothing much to do at home in afternoon, I started flying kites again with my father,” says Avishek Sen, a resident of Behala.
Class-XII student Rishwav Mondal says he never knew how to fly a kite and that outdoor games like football and cricket attract him much more. But the lockdown has changed it. “I couldn’t play outside and was tired of mobile games. I asked a neighbour to teach me how to fly a kite and now a group of friends come over to my place and we fly kites together,” says Rishwav.
With two days to go to Vishwakarma Puja, many like Rishwav and Avishek are queuing up at kite shops. At New Town, a group of locals are even organising a kite festival mostly with young people with a caution that none should use lethal Chinese threads.