As the festival of Makar Sankranti is a few days away, shopkeepers have started displaying colourful kites of different varieties. This year, Chinese kites are in huge demand. Pictures by Badrika Nath Das

Cuttack, Jan. 12: At a time when the ancient sport of kite-flying is losing its charm, the tradition is still alive in the Millennium City. Every year in January, the city skyline can be seen dotted with a number of colourful kites. Here, kite flying has been a favourite pastime for ages.

However, the advent of video games and internet has confined ‘generation next’ indoors. As a result, only few youngsters are keen to move out to the terrace to fly kites these days. Similarly, the increase in the number of high-rises has blocked natural wind, which is the most essential element for kites to fly.

“Earlier, kite-flying would begin from November and continue till February. But over the past few years, there has been a decrease in the enthusiasm among the people for the traditional sport,” said local resident Basant Moharana.

But despite this, the residents here do not miss the opportunity to fly kites on the occasion of Makar Sankranti (January 14). For most people in Cuttack, it is the day to ‘reunite’ with friends and family members. It part of the local tradition to fly kites on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. In fact, people in groups gather on terraces or go to the bank of the Mahanadi to fly kites.

“Unlike earlier, when Cuttack was known for its laidback lifestyle, youths today are either studying, playing on the computer or busy with their jobs. Kite flying used to go on for almost three months starting from mid-October. However, things have changed. Now-a-days we fly kites only on Makar Sankranti,” said Krishna Chandra Sahoo, another local resident.

There has been a huge shift in the change of taste of the people and the articles needed for kite flying. The readymade thread (manjha), coated with fine glass powder, has replaced the traditional method of preparing manjha at homes.

Instead of spending two to three days in preparing the right kind of manjha, the residents are now opting for readymade thread which are imported from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Nylon threads have also become popular.

Exclusively designed ‘Chinese Kites’ are the city’s special attraction. These kites have become quite popular with today’s kite-flyers.

Be it Spiderman, aeroplane, frog or butterfly, the special kites made of cloth, which were introduced only a few years ago, are now the first choice of many, especially kids.

“There is also a demand for readymade thread as it suits the budget of consumers. Similarly, ‘Chinese kites’ are replacing the traditional kites,” said kite-trader Kailash Sahoo.

“Local varieties such as chenga, dhaba, jar, kalkatti and so on are of course cheaper and so still exist,” he added.

“The Chinese kites are the first choice of small children as chances are almost nil that the product gets damaged,” said another trader Bijay Nayak.

The price of these fancy Chinese kites ranges from Rs 50 to 600. However, one can also find traditional kites made of paper and polythene sheets for Re 1 to Rs 10.