With Lahore's signature kite-flying scene held in abeyance by yet another ban, thousands lost a passion, even more lost their livelihoods, and culture lost an art form.

You could have forgiven 67-year-old Pervez Butt for being just another irate old man sitting at a samosa shop. But this man is Pevez Butt: Lahore’s renowned kite-flyer, known as “Battery Wala”, who is also the first kiting “gold medalist” of the city. In Lahore’s folk history, Butt is an idol, whose legend will be taken forth by more than 200 disciples.

Were it up to Butt or me, our meeting wouldn’t have been at a samosa shop in Gawalmandi, the prime minister’s constituency in Lahore. Instead, it would have been at a rooftop, where I could have had the pleasure of witnessing the Battery Wala in his element. With the Punjab government’s now-routine ban on flying kites well in place, this was an opportunity lost.

Butt instead invited me to meet some of his kite-flying companions and disciples over samosas and tea. Of course, Butt’s 55-year-long passion held in abeyance once again, but he wanted me to witness first-hand the melancholy enveloping the kite-flying circles.

“The Sharifs have never been in support of Basant or kite-flying,” says a disciple. “If only Salmaan Taseer had duelled Shahbaz Sharif, we would have had this issue settled. Taseer would have won, Shahbaz Sharif can’t fly a kite to save his life!”

The circle laughs and nods in agreement. They all recall the former governor declaring the Governor House open for Basant to those who wanted to celebrate the festival. That was in 2009.

Now, in 2014, Basant has been clipped, moved out of the city and into the Changa Manga forest. The group is eager to point out that kite-flying is very much a tradition and practice of the old city. Moving it to a remote location is stripping the art of kite-flying of its cultural roots. “I am not someone who associates kite-flying only with Basant. I think kite-flying is in our blood!” declares Taimur, a resident of Gawalmandi.

The circle nods again, as Taimur tells the household story of collecting kites and dor stuck on trees and utility poles during the famed two-day Basant celebrations in Lahore. Taimur and his friends would collect dozens of kites, which would help them fund their kite-flying hobby for the next four to five months.

The circle then comes with unique tales of how Lahore was draped in yellow during Basant, when the night sky would disappear and be replaced by kites. Everyone had tasted “zarda” during Basant; each one in the circle claimed a personal favourite.

Basant was also moved from the first week to the second week of February to generate more revenue. “Around Rs2billion were generated in the Basant festival week,” says District Kite Flying Association President, Nadeem Wyne. “People from across the world used to travel to Pakistan to enjoy kite-flying. All major hotels used to be booked, telephone networks jammed. It used to be a crazy week in Lahore.” Multinational companies based in Lahore used to rent rooftops in the walled city for 24hours. The rent went up to Rs500,000.

The culture of kite-flying also bred a small industry of home-based workers that served the passion and desires of millions. Around 150,000 people affiliated with the kite-making industry lost their jobs in the last four years. Most of them are in financial trouble because their skills are no longer needed, according to a survey conducted by Homenet Pakistan, a network of organisations working for the recognition and labour rights of home-based workers.

According to the survey, around 90per cent of the kite-makers were women. Eighty per cent of all kite-makers in Lahore never went to school, 10pc passed primary school, while the rest completed middle-school and matriculation.

Raw material was usually provided by contractors to kite-makers. Most kite-makers didn’t have direct contact to the market where kites were sold. This practice enabled the contractor to maximise profits, whereas only a small portion was given to the kite-makers. Each kite-maker would earn around Rs900-1,500 per month only.

Kites manufactured in Pakistan, including in Lahore, were exported to countries such as the UAE, UK and USA where Basant festivals are organised every year. Patang, a kite which is made using four sticks, has more than 104 types. Gudda is a kite which is only made using two sticks, one used diagonally and the other vertically. Enthusiasts believe that a gudda is easier to fly because it’s lighter in weight, however, patang is supposed to be more aero-dynamic.

Other kites manufactured in Pakistan include Machar, Gudda, Purra, Nucklow Kat, Sitara, Doli and Pan to name a few. All of them vary in sizes, weight, balance and speed. It depends on a kite-flyer which kite he would use. Before the use of charkhi, panni (a kind of string) was widely used in Pakistan, which was small and used to be held by a thumb. During the day, colourful kites used to occupy the skies. However, at night, colourful kites were replaced with white kites for better visibility.

Once the ban was imposed, locals of the old city claim a few kite-sellers committed suicide as they had no other means of sustenance. Many had entire households working the same kite-making jobs. Most kite-makers and sellers were then left without a steady, and in some cases, home-based income. With no other skill but kite-making, it was impossible for them to land other jobs.

To make ends meet, women started to work in different sectors on daily wages. Families stopped sending their children to school and a few kite-sellers near Mochi Darwaza, who sold kites since generations, are now selling crockery to survive.

“In today’s market, people who worked as kite-makers are not able to do anything because they didn’t have any prior experience,” explains Ahmed, a kite-enthusiast who lives near Delhi Darwaza. He claims to have seen more than a few families get dragged into poverty ever since the ban on kite-flying in Lahore.

Back at the circle, I ask the kite-flying enthusiasts: when was the ban on kite-flying first enforced?

The kite-flying group goes into a huddle to consult each other before providing a joint statement. As it turns out, they want to be correct and precise in their reply.

“He is talking about the 2005 one,” said one.

“Mention the 2010 one too, I think,” said another.

The story did start in 2005, it turns out, when kite-flying was officially banned across Pakistan by then chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, in a suo moto action. Chaudhry had received an article which was published in a weekly newspaper in Lahore on Sept 8, 2005, from someone in Rahim Yar Khan, demanding that restrictions be imposed on kite-flying because it was causing a loss of billions of rupees and valuable human lives, even after the restrictions imposed by the law.

An official of LESCO voluntarily appeared in the court and showed a statement indicating losses incurred by them due to kite-flying. In 2005, 124,917 11KV grids and 4,867 132KV grids were tripped, resulting in a loss of around 100million rupees. According to ‘Punjab Prohibition of Kite Flying Ordinance 2001’, manufacturers, traders and sellers of kite or kite-flying material are ordered to get registered with the district government. It also prohibits manufacturing and selling of ‘maanjha’, a chemical-lined string to fly kites, and anyone violating these rules can be tried under Chapter XXII of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.

While the Supreme Court banned kite-flying, it had added the clause that the ban could be lifted for a limited period if a city requests it. In 2010, the Lahore High Court turned down a request for lifting the ban for Basant that year.

That same year, 41-year-old Arsalan Siddiqi had left Karachi, along with four others, in their car. “We knew that the [Lahore High Court] case was under proceeding and the decision might not be to have Basant. But we started driving anyway,” Siddiqi tells the circle. “Midway, we received news that Basant wouldn’t take place in Lahore. We still drove all the way, but it was anticlimactic.”

Jamshed, a software engineer based in Riyadh, chimes in: “I never visit my family on Eid but I always used to visit them during spring. This way I could see them and also celebrate Basant in Lahore.”

According to local kite-flyers, the severity of incidents increased in 1999, when huge kites and guddas were introduced. In order to fly them, the dor’s gauge was increased. Later, powdered glass-coated and chemical-lined strings were introduced, which made it easier to cut an opponent’s kite. This resulted in people complaining about severe skin-cuts and electrocution because of the chemical used in the strings.

Muhammad Malik Tariq, 62, who has been flying kites for the past 55 years, believes that such incidents have increased mainly because of the increased population and urban congestion in the city. “Back in the days, I only remember this one incident when an elderly man complained about a small cut on his forehead caused by the dor. In the last 15 years however, the use of motorcycles has increased drastically which causes more and more such accidents.”

But the ban on kite-flying is now enforced very strictly. Word on the street is that SHOs are removed and transferred if people fly kites in their jurisdiction. “We were ordered to stop anyone from flying kites in our area,” a police officer posted at the nearby Laxmi Chowk later told me. “Murderers, kidnappers and dacoits are on the loose, but the force wants us to stop people from having fun,” he remarked.

Kite-enthusiasts in Lahore want the government to regulate use of ‘maanjha’ and lift the ban. “Banning kite-flying is not a solution,” argues Muhammad Malik Tariq. “The beauty of this activity is that people from all backgrounds can enjoy this sport. How does the government expect people from low-income group to have fun? Or is having fun also a commodity now!?”

“Kite-flying could’ve been used to promote Pakistan’s soft image across the world. Instead, our government completely banned it. We are moving away from our culture. Kite-flying is a culture of our land, and we should celebrate it proudly! We have starting labelling ourselves as Sunnis, Shias, Ahmedis. We have stopped being Pakistani,” complained Advocate Khalid Zafar, a kite-flying enthusiast.

A few kite-flyers, aware of the illegality of their actions, are still flying kites in some areas of Lahore. It might be illegal according to the law, but they don’t think they are doing anything wrong. Jamal*, who occasionally flies kites in Lahore argues, “This wasn’t illegal until few years ago. I’ve been flying kites for years, and I won’t stop now. The government is trying to moral-police the citizens on what is right and what is wrong. They are not supposed to do this.”

If people like Jamal can stand against all odds and enjoy what they love, maybe there is a little hope for the culture to revive.

Bo kaata!

For enthusiasts, choosing the type of kite to fly is an important decision — the differences are neither subtle nor insignificant.

Patang is the most famous kite used in Pakistan. It is made with four sticks and its weight varies. The size of a patang is usually measured in span (from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger). Usually, the sticks used are flexible, which helps the kite to be more aero-dynamic and adaptable. Gudda is a kite which is made using two sticks and is used for competitions besides Patang. The size of a gudda is measured in ‘tawa’ which is roughly equitant to one foot. Normally, two tawa and 2.5 tawa guddas are preferred.

Kite-flying competitors only use Patang and Gudda during a competition. Both players have to select a similar kite or gudda. They can either play ‘freestyle’ or ‘seedha-paich’. During a freestyle competition, ‘Pull’ and ‘Release’ techniques are allowed to cut other player’s dor. ‘Pull’ usually requires pulling the dor back as fast as possible, when the kite is flying at a certain distance. If the speed of the kite is more than the other kites in the line, the dor will slice other kites’ dor.

‘Release’ technically means letting out as much dor as possible, as kites are flown long distance, sometimes fliers might not even see their kites. Usually, another person holds the charkha, so that the dor is released as far as possible. The faster kite is usually able to cut the opponent’s kite. In most cases, the player playing with a sharper manjha usually wins.

On the other hand, during a ‘seedha-paich’ competition, the players can’t use those two techniques. Rather, they have to cut the opponent’s dor only if it comes directly in contact with it. This is where players showcase their kite-flying techniques and the sharpness of the manjha doesn’t really matter.

Sharla is a small squircle-shaped kite and is very light in weight. It is very popular among kids and adults alike because it is believed to be the easiest kite to fly. Sharla adapts itself to every wind condition, unlike other kites available in the market. Unlike, other kites, Sharla goes up in the air like a balloon.

Nukhlao Kat is a type of gudda which is very famous among ‘luteray’. The technique to fly a Nukhlao Kat is locally known as “chameru”, which involves tying a piece of stone at the end of the kite. When the kite is in the sky, the stone is heavier than the kite, which makes it spin in circles. The ‘luteray’ prefer this technique because as soon as their kite starts to circle, it wraps the dor of other kites in the way, and then breaks all others when the flier starts to pull it back.

The other technique used by ‘luteray’ is using a small piece of rubber and tying it to a strong dor, usually nylon. When a lutera sees a kite in the sky, he throws the rubber piece over the dor and then pulls it. This cuts the flier’s dor, and the kite is set free.

Machar is a rhombus-shaped kite and also has a tail. It is manufactured in different colours and styles, and is mostly flied because it looks attractive. Doli is considered to be the heaviest kite in the market. It was used to mark the beginning of the basant festival on a few roof-tops.

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