Chennai's international kite festival takes off today

CHENNAI: You may have spent a major part of your childhood imagining flying huge colourful and extravagantly crafted kites in the sky; a part of your inner child will be happy knowing that Chennai’s first edition of the three-day Tamil Nadu International Kite Festival is happening today at TTDC Ocean View, Mamallapuram.

Talking to DT Next about the inception of the event, Benedict Savio, director and founder of Global Media Box, says, “We have been doing hot air balloons and other adventure tourism for the last 15 years. I have seen the sort of love and traction kite festivals have worldwide and always wanted to do one in the city.”

But what is so special about the kite festival? He says, “Usually at kite festivals people bring their kites and fly. Instead of letting people fly the kites, we are bringing in national and international teams of professional kite flyers who will be flying kites of sizes 10 ft to 20 ft. There will be teams from Thailand, US, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi with 2 – 3 teams each.”

Benedict says that since it’s the first edition, the chosen teams are part of his professional network. He says that with further editions they will open it up to the rest of the world. The purpose of the festival is to bring the carnival spirit to the people of the city and also ensure that the festival caters mainly to kids.

“Each team will bring more than just two or three kites with them. We can expect to see approximately 80 – 100 kites. The kites will be periodically changed every 10 minutes. We will begin the showcase of kites at 12 pm and go on till sundown,” he says.

The festival will also have 20 – 30 food stalls filling hungry stomachs while offering an amazing view. To enrich this experience and etch it in your memory, after sundown, at 6 pm there will be music too. On August 13, rock band Thaikudam Bridge will be performing, followed by a musical fusion performance by super singers along with Rajesh Vaidya on August 14, and a talent show for kids and a show by the band On The Streets of Chennai.

“Since the third day of our festival is on Independence Day, we will be celebrating it with kites. There will be a special showcase of tricoloured kites that will also commemorate the national flag,” he says.

“We were able to pull this off with the support and collaboration of the Tamil Nadu Tourism department. They helped us with the venue, permission and other legal elements required for the festival,” he adds.

Benedict says he is hoping to make this festival an annual week-long affair in the month of May. “Through the first edition, I hope we are able to show people that designer kites exist and to also open up and invite more countries to be a part of this festival,” he remarks.

The event which began today will go on till August 15. The tickets are available on Paytm Insider and priced at Rs 150 for adults and free for children from the age 0 – 12.

“These kites will be tethered to the ground and will not fly more than 20 ft. This is to ensure that the birds are not affected and that the kites do not interact with the water body. We will also do our waste management efficiently to ensure the place is tidy.”