Upcoming Ahmedabad International Kite Festival - January 2014

Greetings from Gujarat Tourism!

Often known as the lion of India, Gujarat is the country’s westernmost and most progressive state. It is blessed with greenery, beache deserts, heritage, a rich culture and celebrations that span the entire year! The grandest one being the Kite Festival, organized by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL). A diligent body of professionals, TCGL ensures soaring spirits all around.

The International Kite Festival of Gujarat is being celebrated on a much larger scale than any other state of India. A fact that Gujarat celebrated its 25th International Kite Festival last year is one of the parameters to appraise the popularity of IKF of Gujarat.

Gujarat Tourism invites you to become a part of this magnificent festival which is being celebrated from 7th January to 15th January, 2014. This year, TCGL has planned much more than just a kite flying at Ahmedabad city for its participants. This includes kite shows at various locations like Mumbai, Delhi, Little Rann of Kutch, Saputara (the only Hill station of Gujarat), Mandvi (most serene beach of Gujarat Er ship making yard of old era), Champaner (UNESCO World Heritage site), White Desert at Dhordo (Kutch), etc. The kite festival at Ahmedabad will be having other attractions like Craft Bazaar, Cultural Performances Er Musical Evenings to name a few.

So, just drop into Mumbai or Delhi and TCGL will take care of your local travel, meals and hospitality. TCGL will also ensure you get glimpses of the beautiful destinations mentioned above while you are in our amazing state.

We wish to hear from you soon regarding confirmation of your participation. Should you need any clarifications, feel free to contact ikf@gujarattourism.com Thanking you, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Ltd. Gujarat

Visit for more details http://www.ahmedabadkiteflyers.org

Indian Fighter Kites and Kite Fighting Tradition in India

 Indian Fighter Kites and Kite Fighting Tradition in  India

Kites in India
India has a very ancient kite tradition. Most people believe that kites were first brought into India by
the Chinese travellers, Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang but from there the kites have taken their own
evolutionary route in India and today Indian kites are almost exclusively fighter kites. They are made of tissue paper and bamboo and almost all Indian kites have a very similar shape –
a diamond shaped piece of tissue with a central spine and a single bow. The differences lie in the many patterns and colours used to make the paper sail. But the Indian kite is a superb flying machine, capable of responding to the flyers’ lightest touch, extremely maneuverable and perfectly suited to
its function. The generic name for a kite in India is

Patang
.
Types of Indian kites

While the basic shape of the Indian kite remains largely unchanged from the diamond, there are subtle variations – and each has its fervent supporters.

Patang
– This is the most common Indian kite. The height/width ratio is generally 1:1.2. As in all
Indian kites, the edges are reinforced by a thin thread along the circumference of the kite and the
overlapping paper is glued back on to the sail. This is a tail-less kite. The tail is generally a small
double triangular piece of tissue, pasted such that the bottom edge is flush with the level of the sail,
with thin bamboo slivers along the outer edges for reinforcement.

Guddi
– Almost as popular as the patang, this variation generally has a height/width ratio in reverse –
1.2 : 1. In other words, the kite is taller than it is wide. The tail in this kite is generally a small tassel
of tissue paper.

Dedh Kanni
– This is a little more uncommon and is generally used in lower winds – The kite is significantly broader than the regular patang and the height/width ratio tends to be close to 1:1.5. It shares the triangular patch tail with its parent patang.

Tukkal
– This shape is more akin to the Malaysia Wau than the patang and is almost never seen in Indian skies except at Kite Festivals. In Pakistan, though, it is still a popular design.

Twin double-bows make this a very “heavy” kite and not many people possess the skill to fly it. Besides, the time and energy required to make one make it a precious object, one you
wouldn’t like to lose by risking it in a kite battle

Source : Nomad Trust