Hamza Malick
Every year, we used to celebrate the Basant festival in February when the winter chill gave way to herald the advent of summer. People would throng kite markets in Lahore to buy their favourite colourful kites of every shape and spools of different qualities to mark this two day festival. Families, relatives, and friends would come from different cities to enjoy this beautiful carnival.
At night, there were barbeque, parties, and music, shouting and special slogans like “bo ka ta” or “naya ura” (fly new kite) were quite popular among the people. Roofs were cleaned and bespangled so as to lighten up the sky, to see innumerable kites dancing, moving and twirling conspicuously, covering the sky. Such a stripe of night came only once a year when the sky was covered with kites.
The following day, at noon, oranges were the special fruits to relish and enjoy this festivity. I have never ever seen a multitude of people together on the roofs everywhere and exceedingly happy and excited in my life. It was indeed a sight worth seeing. I have been there, done that.
Historically, Basant Panchami is also known by two other monikers, ‘Vasant Panchami’ and ‘Shri Panchami’ is an old important Hindu festival. In the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of Sikh Empire, also the prime mover of this tradition, used to hold this festival annually in the month of February to commence the spring season. As Spring traditionally symbolises a new start, optimism and happiness after months of inclement weather, Ranjit Singh and his consort Moran would accoutre themselves in yellow and colourful attires and fly kites on this day.
As years passed on, this festival transcended borders and became the cynosure and interest for the people in Pakistan. The first three traditional areas in which the Basant was marked were Amritsar, Kasur and Lahore. Following suit, some other countries also jumped on the bandwagon recently and now it is celebrated in many countries of the world like UAE, KSA, Germany, India and many other countries sadly excluding Pakistan. Due to increased injuries caused by stray kite strings, the Supreme Court of Pakistan took a suo moto notice back in year 2005 and banned this festivity.
It has been virtually two decades since the Punjab government, or the state imposed blanket ban on this long-established tradition to save people’s lives from the deadly string. Let me put it in a different way; if someone has a splitting headache, he does not sever his head, instead de takes medicine for it to heal from it. Likewise, if there is a problem with the string, ban using the string, why ban the whole festival.
There are two main reasons for stamping out this festival. The first motive is that people use glass-coated material to make the string sharper to cut their rivals’ kites. This string must be curtailed and avoided to make Basant safer especially for the motorcyclist who are most vulnerable to this life-taking string on the roads.
The second motive is that the state has banned this centuries-old festivity to please some parochial and philistine clerics in the country who invariably throw spanner in the works to celebrate this secular colourful lost tradition. When Basant can be marked in Kasur, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and other parts of the country despite state restriction, why not in Lahore.
Every year, police round up kite flyers and kite peddlers from different cities and put their pictures on social media just to show that the government is taking action against offenders, but the point I want to make here is that where are the police before run-up to Basant when all these preparations are being made?
The state should not cancel this tradition of kite flying because of a few certain figures as it attracts tourists from across the world and brings revenue in the form of dollars to our dollar starved country. The government has been trying to attract tourists and investors for the last many years from abroad but has failed outright. This festival instead is and should be an opportunity for the government to take advantage of it and promote Pakistan’s true image, food, rich history, culture, and hospitality to the global level to attract them.
In times of such unprecedented crisis where finding pleasures have become a luxury, the state must lift the ban and let people enjoy the festival for only two days in a year within the parameters declared and described by the state. It is not a tall order. Aerial firing on celebratory occasions like Basant, New Year’s Eve, marriages and Independence Day must be controlled and those who involve in this hazardous act must be penalised as stringently as possible.
This is not just a festival to be celebrated but a bread and butter for thousands of people whose jobs and families are associated with this profession. Unemployment is already unprecedented and those who are somehow paddling their own canoe, the state must not deprive them of their jobs.
Now, let us address the elephant in the room to celebrate Basant – safely. I would like to recommend some workable solutions to do this.
At first, the government should announce two day official holiday across Punjab. In addition to, there should be a restriction on bike riding on major arteries of the country. Furthermore, people must avoid going out with their families and children on bikes. Third, 1122 helpline service should be put on more alert to respond quickly if something tragic and untoward transpires. Lastly, the government should also learn and replicate how the other countries are marking this festival safely. If this is done, only then we can safely celebrate Basant in Pakistan.
Let the sky once again be covered with kites. Let the shouts and slogans of Basant echo in the unfilled spaces of Pakistan. Let us give millions of people a reason to get together, smile, partake in fun fights after two decades. Let the people demonstrate and turn their pent-up disenchantment into happiness and to prove that they are still a living nation.
I request the venerated first-ever elected-woman CM of Punjab, the bureaucracy and the powers that be to reconsider their decision and lift ban on Basant and let people have some fun with precautionary measures to make this lost festival a win-win avocation for everyone.
The writer is a columnist and academic. He can be contacted at hamza.malick0341@gmail.com
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