Jammu: Colourful kites of different shapes and sizes dotted the skyline of Jammu and Samba in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday as scores of people participated in kite festivals in the two districts.
The second edition of the Jammu Kite Festival was organised by the Directorate of Tourism in collaboration with the J&K Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) at the Tawi River Front Park here.
The event was inaugurated by Divisional Commissioner Raghav Langer. Fifty people participated in the event, an official spokesperson said.
“Kites have been a part of (our) tradition since ancient times and even today, they are flown to celebrate various festivals and sentiments. Ever since we started thinking about organising a kite-flying festival in Jammu, we were sure that it would get a great response,” said Director Tourism, Jammu, Vivekanand Rai.
Deputy Director, Tourism (Publicity), Naresh Kumar said the idea behind organising the event was to revive the age-old tradition of flying kites and provide Jammu residents an opportunity to witness ‘patangbaazi’.
The festival also marked the celebration of ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahostav’ to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence, he said.
Kumar said the kite festival would be made a regular feature in the coming years and would be organised on a grander scale to help attract tourists from all parts of India.
The Samba district administration also organised a kite festival at the Rani Suchait Singh Sports Stadium, Arazi.
“The event was organised with an objective to discourage the use of nylon or plastic threads and simultaneously engage the youth and promote among them the age-old sport of kite-flying,” the spokesperson said.