Malik M. Ashraf
Basant is a festival celebrated to herald the arrival of the spring season after harsh winters, which also coincides with the harvesting season. Its origins date back centuries. Before Partition it was celebrated across religious lines in undivided Punjab, especially Lahore, Amritsar and Kasur. Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus flew kites from their well-decorated rooftops wearing yellow clothes and sharing food with guests while enjoying music. It had no regulatory regime imposed by the state.
However, it was during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the early nineteenth century that it was institutionalised as a festival at the state level. Over the years it became part of Punjab culture and also developed into an industry providing livelihood to millions of people besides being a source of great enjoyment and recreation for the entire population.
After Partition Lahore became the hub of kite flying and the festival of Basant. However, kites were also flown in other parts of the country throughout the year. It almost became a passion among the public. I still cherish nostalgic memories of kite flying during my school and college years and running around to pick up loose kites. The spirit and enjoyment of the festival could not be explained in words. It was an ecstatic pursuit to say the least. In the late 1990s and early 2000s Basant also became a major tourist attraction for people from around the world who came to enjoy and be part of the festival.
As the fever for celebrating Basant snowballed, string producers started making the string stronger than before by adding additional chemicals and better quality glass powder. The result was that the string became sharp like a knife and led to many lethal incidents in which stray kite string cut the throats of many motorcyclists due to the exponential increase in the use of motorcycles from the late eighties onward. According to an estimate there are more than five million motorcycles running on roads in Lahore and likewise their number has also increased substantially in other cities.
In view of the growing popularity of kite flying, particularly during Basant which also attracted foreigners to the event, the government started patronising the festival. However nobody bothered to evaluate the consequences of kite flying due to the changed circumstances and to put in place a regulatory mechanism.
Therefore, in view of the injuries and deaths caused by chemical-coated string, the Supreme Court of Pakistan, taking suo motu notice of the situation in 2005, advised the government to regularise the activities of kite flying. The government instead of implementing the SC decision put a complete embargo on kite flying which not only deprived millions of people of their livelihood who were associated with the manufacture of kites and preparation of strings for the activity, it was also a great setback for people passionately attached to the pursuit. The ban eliminated cultural history without any scruples. It surely was also a violation of the fundamental rights of the people. The decision represented a typical impulsive and reactive response to the problem by decision-makers instead of finding an amicable solution.
The revival of the Basant festival by the Punjab government after nearly nineteen years of hiatus is a welcome and imaginative step, as was evident from the indescribable enthusiasm of the people and their expression of gratitude to the government. At least an effort has been made to care for the sentiments of the people and their love for a cultural event like Basant. It was not only a great moment from a cultural perspective but also from an economic point of view. According to estimates nearly Rs4 billion were spent on buying kites and related material. The people of Lahore and those coming from other cities spent Rs5 billion on food during the festivities. Transporters who brought people to Lahore from other cities also had a roaring business. Overall the festival was a great success to say the least.
While congratulating the Punjab government for reviving the Basant festival, I would like to point out that it was an over-regulated event on which billions of rupees were spent from the government exchequer on advertising and extraordinary arrangements to implement regulatory mechanisms which could have been avoided had the planners exercised more discretion and understanding of the spirit of the event.
The impact of the regulatory mechanism was that the string and kites were sold at exorbitant prices which most people could not afford. The kites which were available in the range starting from Rs20 to Rs200 before the ban on kite flying were sold from Rs300 to Rs2000, making it a festival of the moneyed people. The less privileged participated in the event by running after loose kites instead of being part of the kite-flying contests themselves.
In my considered view kite flying can be made safe and secure by putting a complete ban on the production of strings coated with chemicals. It is easier to dry the source of production of chemical-coated strings rather than monitoring the flyers of kites. Another necessary measure is to make it obligatory for motorcyclists to install head-high windshields on their bikes besides wearing helmets. The traffic police can easily monitor it. It will reduce incidents of throat-cutting by strings and also save riders from dust and hot winds during summer and cold winds during winter, creating a win-win situation for all.
My other suggestion is that kite flying must be allowed in the entire province throughout the year as it used to be before the ban. It will generate tremendous economic activity by creating millions of jobs. The young generation will also have a safe and less costly source of entertainment.
The writer is a freelance columnist. He can be reached at ashpak10@gmail.com
