Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The festival of Sankranti known for flying kites is also recognised as the festival of togetherness, where everyone greets each other and give wishes for the harvest season, is round the corner.
The festival is celebrated by the people by flying kites along with their family and friends and distribution of sweets.
This year many stalls will be put up to provide free kites to the children. The prominent areas where kites will be distributed for free to children are Sapna Sangeeta, Pipliyala, Rambagh, etc.
According to some shopkeepers at Pipliyala, there has been a surge in demand for kites recently. Ramdas Kamedia, who owns a shop in Sapna Sangeeta area said, “This year I have observed more people asking for kites than in previous years. I will personally provide free kites to the children on January 15.”
There are plenty of places where kite-flying competitions are being organised for people to enjoy the festival at its best. Members of many organisations and committees will gather at the public grounds for the kite festival.
Societies plan their own festival
Most of the societies in the city will be organising kite-flying fests and competitions. Rudraksh Jadhav, a committee member of Sanjana Park said, “The committee has decided to bring a new twist to the celebration of Makar Sankranti. People from around the city are invited to celebrate the occasion with us.”
Hiralal Joshi, administrative head of Silver Springs said, “There will be a common celebration for the people in the society's main ground. A stall for free kites will be kept open for all while a lantern counter will also be introduced so that people can enjoy the festive at its best.”
Maharashtrians say “Happy Til Gud”
The Maharashtrian society in the city will be celebrating the festival in their own style. Aparna Deshpande, a member of Maharashtrian society said, “the families will have a get-together and greet each other with the homemade ‘til gud’ which is considered to be the delicacy of the day.” Along with this, gifts will be distributed to the children who will visit their neighbours to greet them “Happy Makar Sankranti.”
Traditional kites and manjha available
Kites ranging from rupees 2 to rupees 500 are available in the market whereas traditional manjha ranging from rupees 40 to rupees 350 is available. The smallest kite available in the city is one inch. The string available is from 100 metres to 1,000 metres.
Zakir Mohammad a shopkeeper, said that Indore produces manjha in a large quantity which is also exported to other nations.
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