Kite fest delights Chennai denizens, participants

CHENNAI: The three-day Tamil Nadu International Kite Festival (TNIKF) in Mahabalipuram has become a major crowd puller in the city.

Ten teams registered for the event, out of which 4 are international teams — 2 each from Thailand and USA.

The kite flyers awed the kids and adults with some colourful display of kites made in the form of Spider Man, dragon, flying horse, Lord Ganesha and so on.

Spider Man was a popular kite among kids, so much that when it was brought down, kids demanded a repeat performance.

The international kite flyers were surprised at the enthusiastic response from the Chennai crowd. Worakitt, a kite flyer, and part of Thitan Kite Team, Thailand, said, “We’re impressed with the crowd here. People are kind and the experience has been great, though the number of kites is less. From next year onwards, we hope more kites are showcased.”

Nehul Pathak, a kite flyer from Ahmedabad, was impressed with the arrangements. “It doesn’t feel like the city is hosting such an international event for the first time,” he said. “I’ve participated at kite festivals in the UK and its neighbouring countries where it’s a weekly event. This one has been an incredible experience.”

Lerong and Elvis, kite flyers from Tamil Nadu, are cousins and studying in classes 5 and 6 respectively. This was the first international event they’ve participated in. They want this to be conducted every year so that they can participate with more kites.

Special kites for I-Day

Benedict Savio, TNIKF’s organiser said, “We’ve planned to fly special kites with tricolour flags, and kites designed as number 75 on Independence Day. Also, kites designed with the phrase ‘Jana Gana Mana’ will also be flown.”