Basant - Kite Flying (essay)

Basant - Kite Flying 

Basant

Outline:
1- Festivalof kites 
2- Favourite festival 
3- Experts of trade earn a lot 
4- Night before Basant 
5- Sad accidents 
6- Anxiety to catch a kite 
Basant is a festivalof kites. It marks the advent of spring season. In its bluff and bluster.A is a typically Punjabi festivity. It is celebrated all over Punjab. It comes off in the middle of February. Preparations are made months in advance. Kite makers keep busy round the clock preparing kites. 
Kites of all sizes and shapes are brought and stored in huge quantity Lahore is generally the first city to break into festivity, followed by Kasur, Gujranwala, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi. All these cities celebrate Basant on different dates according to their own calculations. 
It is a favourite festival of Lahorites. The gay spirited sons of Lahore are very enthusiasmabout it. People from all over the country come to Lahore and participate in the event. All people, young or old, take enjoymentt in flying kites. 
One feels proud if one is a good kite flier. The narrow winding streets of Mochi Gate give the impression of a kite kingdomt in February. At every step there are shops with all kinds of kites for sale. 
The experts of trade earn a lot of money during the season. People spend a lot of money on kites. Kites are flown in large numbers. People compete with one another in kite flying. Some parties act as rival and spend thousands of rupees on Basant day. 
The roofs, parks and open spaces are crowded with people on that day When the kite of one's opponent is cut down the winners express their victory by shouting "Bo Kata", hooting and beating the drum. 
This trend of celebrating the occasion has now been supplemented with the loudspeakers, records, cassettes and lately firing in the air. The night before Basant the cities, towns and villages give the impression of day light. The sky is high lighted by search lights and white coloured kites are flown. 
Night kite flying has been introduced by the rich. People buy huge quantity of kites and store them. They never bother(tabout the price. It is a good game but has great risks. Many sad accidents occur on this occasion.
Boys fall down from the roofs of their houses. They even lose their lives. Some kit fliers have deep cuts on their fingers. Kite catching is quite common on the roads. 
In their anxiety to catch a kite some boys suffer serious accidents. Several disputes arise between the kite catchers. They often result in injuries. Basant has become wastage of wealth. But nobody realizes it. Our society cannot allow such a dangerous and useless tradition.