"Over the past week, though, Khalid and his 27-year-old cousin, Noman Tariq, have bought 200 kites. They're preparing for festivities that have long been a central facet of life in Lahore, but were banned in 2007. Now, Basant, as the three-day festival is called, is returning, starting on Friday. The historic Mochi Gate, one of old Lahore's 13 gates that date back to the Mughal era, is bustling once again with shops selling kites along narrow, dimly lit streets."
"Kite sellers report sales nearing one billion rupees ($3.5m) for kites and string alone. Khalid and his cousin were among the buyers. We have spent a total of at least 500,000 rupees ($1,780) in the last one week on kites and strings, he said exuberantly, clutching his prized purchases as passersby asked about their price. Mohammad Amir Rafique Sheikh, spokesperson for the All Pakistan Kite Flying Association, said the decision to allow Basant had given local industries a much-needed lift."
Basant, a three-day spring festival historically rooted in Vasant Panchami, is returning to Lahore after an 18-year ban that began in 2007. Mochi Gate and surrounding areas are bustling with shops selling kites and related paraphernalia as thousands of people have poured in over several days to buy materials. Several deaths linked to kite retrieval accidents and to the use of chemical-coated kite strings prompted the long ban. Kite sellers report sales nearing one billion rupees ($3.5 million) for kites and string alone, and officials predict total economic activity from the festival will run into several billion rupees. Shoppers reported large personal expenditures on kites and strings in the run-up to the festivities.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]