One day you cannot miss being in Ahmednagar. Makar Sankranti is kite flying day for us. Bagadpatti area had a thousand kites in the air. We bought ourselves 12 kites and 1350metres of thread on a Chakri {Thread Roller}. Good thread costs 180 rupees for 900 metres. Kite flying is dependant on 50% the quality of the thread and 30% luck and 20% skill. You need to aim for cutting as many kites you can and ruling the skies. When your kite gets hooked on to another kite's thread you need to release the thread as fast as possible. The heavier kite moves faster in the air. The friction of your thread onto the other kites thread and the speed of the thread rubbing onto other kites thread will decide the fate of your kite. We cut 7 kites in less than 20 minutes. And we had our own cheerleading group on the terrace to shout and make shrill noises everytime a kite is cut. An angry and frustrated uncle and his wife who were standing on a terrace 50 metres ahead started giving us harsh looks after we cut 3 of their kites as soon as they were aloft. Two of our kites succumbed to heavier kites allowing them more movement in the air but nevertheless we enjoyed the effort. Me and Karthik with the kites. Cousins Jayan, Biju and Sumesh on the cheerleading squad. Tomorrow being a Sunday we have another big round of kite flying coming up.
