Kite flying or Patangbaaziused to be my most favored sport in childhood. In many parts of India Kites festival is celebrated during Makar Sankranti, in mid of January. But at our place we used to fly kites during summer, for full utilization if 2 months vacations. Cool naa :))
Patangbaazi is not a simple hobby to carry. You have to cross a lot of hurdles to be a good patangbaaz. First hurdle always comes from parents who usually say "Its dangerous"..."You will cut your hand with Maanja(the thread which is used to fly kites) " ...second hurdle is to master the art of kite flying which is really tough. My parents being really supportive in any of the sports and my father who is a real enthusiast and master of kite tactics, I never had to face any hurdles.
It all started with small kite worth 25 pc which had a really long Bajrangi tail and ready made Maanja. In no time small kites turned into big, huge and enormous kites. The joy when kite makes some moves up and down...the angular movement....and the scary curricular movement if its windy...it was all fun...
The most amazing and fascinating part was the different shapes of kites and their names. The small quadrilateral, named duggi. A bigger one chirkat. Angular top and circular bottom dhagga or dhol....And my favorites viman..It used to look as if an air plane flying.
I still remember when my aunt gifted me a chakri(the wheel used as a thread roll). It was the best chakriavailable worth Rs. 50/-. It was like dream come true for me. A gift which was incomparable and priceless in front of all the gifts I had till that day. Happiness was flooding around me. Instantly I took it out to show my friends...they looking at it n saying with amaze "sahiiii yaar..." I was happier seeing some of my friends getting jealous. I look back at that moment and feel "that's so unmanly being happy seeing someone getting jealous", but second thought peeps in…that's childhood you fool.
The most eventful day used to be the day when I used to make Maanjaat home. Some of my langotiasused to be with me to help me out. Preparations used to start with crushing glasses. Glass, either of fluorescent tube or bulb. There was a myth that Desi Daru ke pauua kaMaanjasabse aacha hota hai. So we always used to search for any signs of Desi Daru ka pauua.
We used to do all jugad. If shiras (acting as a glue for thread and glass) not available use sabudana (pearl sago)...don't have any color...use remains of camlin watercolor to get a multicolored Maanja...if it is also not available use haldi...see learning jugaad from childhood days. After collecting all the pre-requisites we used to get into action of making Maanja. Boil shiras in water...put the thread roll in shiras and apply the glass powder on the thread, keep the Maanjafor drying. A good Maanja, result of all day long effort. Excitement to an extreme...Seeing the maanja after every 5 mins...touching it...feeling it...prasing it to achieve a dream of Last Man standing....
The next big things used to be kite fights or penchas we call it. Initially I was afraid of kite fights. I used to fear someone will rob my Maanjaand my kite. So I hardly used to participate in those fights. (Agar koi patang mere upar aaya to mai fat se mera patang khich leta tha :))). My friends used to tease me for the same reason. That thing charged me up to learn the tactics. The fight fright turned into a rollercoster ride full of thrill...Adrenaline pumping...you all charged up as if you are fighting with guns and tanks...Ending with a cheer "Gayaaaaaaaaa........." after winning a battle. The most proud feeling used to be "Last Man standing". That's what I call after winning all the fights and its only my kite flying high, end of the day. Everyone accepted their defeat against my tactics, sharp thread. I am victorious.
Aahhh...those were some days...Years passed...as a natural phenomenon we grow up. But still a kid resides somewhere inside. Who wants to go back in those days...hold the chakri in hand...and do all the crazy things which I used to do....and again feel proud to be Last Man Standing.....
