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Late in the evening, as the Makar Sankranti sun sets, the
night festivities begin. People release paper lamps from their terraces. The sky is now filled with floating lights. Our necks ache as we try to take in the spectacle around. It is a surreal moment.
Read more about this festival at Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan, the kite flying festival in India.
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Kite flying for Makar Sankranti is a family event. Entire families gather together on the terraces, roofs or any other part of their house exposed to the sky. Those not busy flying are busy in preparing the kites. The kite contests are very intensely fought. It requires a lot of concentration to not lose sight of your kite. Controlling the flight and motion of the kite so high up, is no easy task. The kite that flies the tallest is the star of the day!
Read more about this festival at Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan, the kite flying festival in India.
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Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti is a festival that's synonymous with kite flying. Every year on 14th January entire families gather together on the terraces, roofs or any other part of their house exposed to the sky. It is a magical feeling, seeing the entire city engaged in the same sport, the sky covered in tiny colourful specs of kites.
Read more about this festival at Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan, the kite flying festival in India.
Uttarayan is a festival that’s synonymous with kite flying. Every year on 14th January entire families gather together on the terraces, roofs or any other part of their house exposed to the sky.
It is a magical feeling, seeing the entire city engaged in the same sport, the sky covered in tiny colourful specs of kites.
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The entire city was in a festive mood for Makar Sankranti. These streets kids were also in high spirits. As we tried to take their picture from the bus we were traveling in, this boy playfully tried to shoot us back!
Read more about this festival at Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan, the kite flying festival in India.
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Uttarayan is a festival that’s synonymous with kite flying. Every year on 14th January entire families gather together on the terraces, roofs or any other part of their house exposed to the sky.
It is a magical feeling, seeing the entire city engaged in the same sport, the sky covered in tiny colourful specs of kites.
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Photographer: Chetan Karkhanis photos.sandeepachetan.com in association with TravelMag.com
If you want to use this photo free of charge, please link to www.travelmag.com
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Toute la Ville sur le toit, Ahmedabad, Inde
Uttarayan est un festival de cerf-volants en Inde. Tous les 14 janvier, des familles entières se réunissent sur les terrasses et les toits de leur maison exposée au ciel. C'est un sentiment magique de voir toute la ville engagée dans une même activité, le ciel ainsi couvert de minuscules confettis colorés que forment les cerfs-volants.
Bolpur, a city in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, has quite a great historical and literary significance. It was the home of legendary poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. He penned down innumerable literary classics including novels, poems and songs during his time in Bolpur, Shantiniketan. If you visit the campus of Shantiniketan, you will come across several magnificent sculptures, paintings, frescoes and murals of Tagore, as well as of his contemporaries such as Nandalal Bose, Ramkinkar Baij, Binodbehari Mukhopadhyay, and others.
One of the most popular tourist attractions in Bolpur, Tagore’s Ashram is the abode of Kaviguru Rabindranath Tagore. If you are interested in getting a glimpse into the life of the poet, then do not miss the opportunity of visiting this place. Today, it is a heritage site, which is well-maintained and looked after by the authorities. You will find rich literary works of the poet on your visit here. It also houses items that he used daily. You can also check out the awards and accolades received by him during his lifetime. If you wish to know the poet from really close quarters, then visiting this place would be worthwhile.
Founded in: 1863 and it is Established by: Debendranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941) is best known as a poet a bengali( Indian), and in 1913 was the first non-European writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for a notable work of poetry called Gitanjali: Song Offerings (Macmillan, 1912), for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.. He was a school dropout as he felt stifled within the classroom and found himself unable to think and felt claustrophobic within the four walls of a classroom."
Rabindranath Tagore toured Java in the year 1927 accompanied by eminent architect Surendra Nath Kar. Later, when Tagore decided to establish another house at 'Uttarayan' complex, Surendra Nath applied the architectural form of Java on that house and Tagore's son Rathindra Nath took the whole charge of construction of that house. Japanese artist Kono Shuson decorated this house. Tagore named it "UDAYAN". The construction work went till the year 1938.
Udayan is the most imposing house in the Uttarayan complex. It is meant for important guests visiting Santiniketan. Each suite in Udayan is on a different level which gives this house its individuality. In 2013, Visva Bharati opened a museum Guha Ghar, in the Uttarayan complex, in memory of Rathindranath Tagore.
India celebrates the festival of Makar Sankranti on 14 January every year (on 15th if it is a leap year).
It marks the transition of the sun from the zodiac of Sagittarius to Capricorn (makara). As this coincides with the sun's movement from south to north, it is dedicated to the sun god Surya.
Regional flavours mark the celebration of this festival. However common to all flavours is social gatherings, song and dance, bonfires, spiritual practices and of course, good food, especially sweets made from sesame seeds and jaggery.
In Gujarat, in western India, the festival is know as Uttarayan, and is celebrated by flying kites over two days. Aerial fights are common, the aim is to severe your opponent's kite from its string. Screams of 'kai po che' rent the air when one succeeds in de-capacitating an opponents kite.
There are some downsides. People fall off rooftops, ground glass coated kite strings - great for the aerial battles, banned by law which is difficult to implement - cause serious injuries and sometimes death. Not reported is injury to birds and animals. However volunteers, charitable trusts and vet clinics come together to treat the injured animals.
Life is an offering to itself....some does offer it to self only, while some other offer it selflessly....
These women were singing song while preparing community food for the devotees who would be visiting temple on that auspicious day of Uttarayan....the service they offer gives immense pleasure to them....it was a nice opportunity for me to experience it.
Taken in Orchha, Madhyapradesh, India
Devotees gather for special Puja for Uttarayan, the mark of beginning of the Northward movement of the Sun, which is considered to be very auspicious day in Indian culture.
Taken in front of Rama temple in Orchha, Madhyapradesh, India
Filming the Delhi Darwaza Patang Bazaar (Delhi Gate Kite Market).
I was invited by the "Entangled" film crew to join in as a still photographer as they prepared their documentary on Uttarayan.
Entangled is a story about different perspectives on an age-old tradition known as Uttarayan, the annual kite flying festival in India. On January 14th, the skies above Ahmedabad, Gujarat are a canopy of colour as over 4 million kites take to the air to celebrate the end of winter.
The filmmakers, Aditi Desai and Kai Fang, chose my Uttarayan photos for promoting their movie!
These are some of my photos following the film crew around Ahmedabad as they work hard at making "Entangled" - a documentary that aims to showcase the varied perspectives on this rich cultural tradition, while taking an eye-opening look at this highly competitive activity that is a far cry from what the rest of the world regards as the serene hobby of kite flying.
Makar Sankranti marks the end of a long winter with the return of the sun to the Northern Hemisphere and hence the name Uttarayan. It is celebrated all over Gujarat but the excitement runs highest at Ahmedabad, Surat (known particularly for the strong string which is made by applying glass powder on the row thread to provide it a cutting edge) Nadiad and Vadodara. To be in any one of these places during this festival is to feel the heart and pulse of Gujarat and its people.
There is a wonderful set by the Meanest Indian on the colors of Uttarayan here
Shot in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Every year in January, in the days leading up to the festival of Uttarayan, the skies of Ahmedabad are filled with the merry cries of the kite-fliers chasing and cutting each other’s kites. The least celebrated, yet a crucial part of this are the manjha-makers, who make the kite string by coating it with ground glass with their bare hands. The lack of private workspaces has forced the string-maker onto the streets.
This picture captures the day and night-long toil of the thread-maker as he tirelessly plies his craft in a corner against the daily traffic of the city.
Shot in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.
Every year in January, in the days leading up to the festival of Uttarayan, the skies of Ahmedabad are filled with the merry cries of the kite-fliers chasing and cutting each other’s kites. The least celebrated, yet a crucial part of this are the manjha-makers, who make the kite string by coating it with ground glass with their bare hands. The lack of private workspaces has forced the string-maker onto the streets.
This picture captures the day and night-long toil of the thread-maker as he tirelessly plies his craft in a corner against the daily traffic of the city.
Pongal, Makar Sakranti, Lohri is the harvest festival celebrated in India as Uttarayan starts.
At this time of the year, every state in India celebrates its harvest festival. While it's Lohri in Punjab today, the four-day Pongal festival starts in Tamil Nadu with Bhogi Pongal and thousands of Hindu devotees from across the country have already reached Haridwar for the Kumbh Mela. The harvest festivals are a celebration of 'unity in diversity'. On Makar Sankranti, the Sun God is worshipped as a mark of gratitude for blessing the farmers with a good crop. It marks the Sun's transit into Makara or Capricorn, which means the end of the winter solstice and the start of longer days. In West Bengal, Makar Sankranti is also known as Poush Sankranti, when the famous Ganga Sagar Mela takes place.
On Uttarayan, residents of buildings in one of Ahmedabad’s suburbs gather on terraces of their or neighbour’s buildings to fly kites. It’s an annual tradition and skies over Ahmedabad fill with kites of every colour. It’s not very different elsewhere in Gujarat.
Youth indulge in kite fights and take pride in downing other kites.
Travel Blog: windyskies.blogspot.com
Walking swiftly up and down the length of kite thread strung roadside in Ahmedabad, a middle-aged Muslim man coats the thread with Manja, a paste resulting from mixing adhesive (e.g. rice etc.) with finely ground glass to deliver a killer edge to kite thread as it goes up against rival kites on Uttarayan.
On the eve of Makar Sankranti, the city is awash with kites and kite fighting enthusiasm. Young and old alike crowd roadside watching Ahmedabad's Manja Makers bring an edge to their kite fighting dreams.
Travel Blog: windyskies.blogspot.com
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Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan is one of the first festivals in the new year. It is marked by a kite flying frenzy. The entire city - with friends, families and relatives gathers on rooftops to participate in the kite flying. The kite flying is not a friendly pass time that people indulge in for Makar Sankranti. Some closely fought contests take place mid-air. Save your kite and bring the other person's down is the name of the game. Which is why kites have to be bought in large numbers.
Read more about this festival at Makar Sankranti or Uttarayan, the kite flying festival in India.
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Uttarayan is a Festival of flying kites, and is celebrated on 14th Jan.
It also marks the day when the Earth starts to tilt towards North making days longer and shorter nights.
Uttarayan, the beginning of the
Sun's northward movement, is celebrated in India with much enthusiasm and one of the noticeable social action is fresh colouring of house.
I found this beautifully coloured old balcony in a village in Madhyapradesh, India
Every 14th of January, people in India celebrate the festival of Makar Sakranti to mark the transition of sun into the zodiac sign of Capricorn (Makar rashi in Hindi, hence the name). In my home state of Gujarat, this festival is called "Uttarayana". One of the main activities associated with this festival is kite flying. During the day, the sky of Ahmedabad is filled with kites that are so numerous that it creates a serious hazard for birds. The rooftops or all buildings are absolutely packed with people taking part in this annual activity and for most of the day, noise all across the city is deafening. But as the night falls, the kites in the sky give way to sky lanterns. As darkness prevails, the city comes alive with the lights of stunning lanterns slowly ascending into the sky. I hope I have been able to capture and justify this beautiful moment in this photograph.
Makar Sankranti marks the first Hindu festival of the calendar year. India is a diverse country with diversity in culture and language to name a few. Thus the significance of each festival is different in different state or culture. Makar Sankranti is one of the few festivals that is celebrated in most of the states across India. It is celebrated slightly differently in different states but by far and large has the same meaning and significance. It marks the beginning of the harvest season and is also known as harvest festival in most states. It also marks the start of northward journey of sun from winter to summer solstice known as "Uttarayana".
The sesame-jaggery sweet, sugar cane , roasted bengal gram and khichdi/pongal/huggi are important part of the celebration. Kite flying is also an important part of the celebration in some states.
All Indian festivals are based on lunar calendar but Sankranti is the only festival based on solar calendar and hence always falls on the same geordian date.
Editing : I am feeling lucky (Picasa)
Kite flying reaches its peak as the people of Ahmedabad enjoy the last hour of Uttarayan.
Uttarayan, or Makar Sankranti, celebrates the northern ascent of the Sun. In Gujarat, the festival is celebrated by flying kites. People of all ages throng the city's rooftops for two straight days flying kites and engaging in kite fights.
The scientific reason behind kite flying is for the population to get a nice sun bath and help generate a healthy dose of Vitamin D. The sun isn't very harsh at this time of the year.
See my "Celebrating Uttarayan" slideshow.
Best viewed against a black background. Press "L"
This photo was taken in Ahmedabad, India on the night of Makar Sakranti (also called Uttarayan) festival. The lights seen above the city are from thousands of sky lanterns released by Amdavadis (residents of Ahmedabad) as part of festival celebrations.
Kites & kites string at Manek Chowk. You maybe counting down to Xmas but here in Ahmedabad the next big event is Uttarayan - the Kite Festival on January 14th. Can't wait... always lots of fun!
The elderly Muslim caretaker of the tomb adjacent to a medieval-era mosque in Ahmedabad took a kindly view of youngsters running wild in the compound with their kites on Uttarayan even as he tried to shoo them away.
His sternness lacked conviction and the voice had lost its bite. His face was wrinkled; among the lines were those that life lived on the margins had etched.
“They don’t listen when the kite is in their hands,” he told me. I nodded.
The skies over Ahmedabad were surprisingly blue for someone travelling to Ahmedabad from from Mumbai.
Travel Blog: windyskies.blogspot.com
International kite flying festival 2012 ,Ahmedabad ,Gujarat ,India
Since 1989, the city of Ahmedabad has hosted the International Kite Festival as part of the official celebration of Uttarayan, bringing master kite makers and flyers from all over the world to demonstrate their unique creations and wow the crowds with highly unusual kites. In past years, master kite makers from Malaysia have brought their wau-balang kites, llayang-llayanghave come from Indonesia, kite innovators from the USA have arrived with giant banner kites, and Japanese rokkaku fighting kites have shared the skies with Italian sculptural kites, Chinese flying dragons, and the latest high-tech modern wonders. A master kite maker and famous kite flyer Rasulbhai Rahimbhai of Ahmedabad trains of up to 500 kites on a single string have come to be a classic attraction. Almost every known variety of kite can be seen in the skies over Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad, from box kites to high-speed sport kites, from windsocs and spinsocs to hand-painted artistic kites.
Watching for falling kites from outside his home in the slum alongside Raipur Kite Market.
Flanked by cow-dung (gobar) fuel cakes drying in the sun.
Happy Makar Sankranti! According to the Hindu Vedic Astrology, Sun enters the house of Capricorn (Makar) in the course of its celestial path. This marks the beginning of the Winter Solstice, though scientifically, 21st - 22nd December is the real start of Uttarayan(Winter Solastice). Kite flying is an important part of the celebration of Makar Sankranti in many parts of the country.
Kites at the market at Dilli Diwaraja which is open 24 hours a day leading up to the Uttarayan Kite Festival.
Published in Serendib magazine (Sri Lankan Airlines) in January, 2008.
Sir J.J. School & the Parsi Agiyari in the forefront are the only world heritage sites of Surat. Uttarayan, the kite flying festival is celebrated with lots of joy & gusto in Gujarat & the old city evening skies are brightened by scintillating fireworks.
Stacked paper kites at the kite bazaar which is doing a bustling trade for the Uttarayan Kite Festival.
Appeared in the lead story in the Guardian Weekly on January 14, 2008 alongside an interview I did with renowned local kite-maker Salim Rasulbhai Patang-Wallah.
Explore #396 on Friday, January 14, 2011
Thank you everybody!
The 'Makar Sankranthi' of Gujarat and one of the biggest festivals celebrated here, where kite flying is a major tradition/attraction across the city.
Shot these 'Manja's' or kite string pools at the Raipur Kite Market in Ahmedabad - one of the largest in this region.
Kites at a kite stall in the old city of Vadodara. Beware:This photo was stolen by Wallpaper.
More photos and text in my photobook:
www.bobbooks.co.uk/bookshop/users/chapmanpa/uttarayan-an-...
The hand of a man who is coating kite-string with coloured paste embedded with glass. On the roadside near Dilli Diwarja. Have been stopping by these guys the last few days - really dedicated workers and highly productive.
Colourful Indian Fighter kites at the kite bazaar in Raipur, Ahmedabad. Come 14th of January - the festival of Uttarayan - and these kites will join another 5 million in the sky! More Uttarayan pictures in this set.
Featured in the month of January of Net-Square's 2011 calendar