Colorful kites adorn sky over Parade Ground in Hyderabad

The event organised by the Telangana State Tourism and Culture Department from January 13 to 15 will also host 40 international kite flyers from 16 countries.

Hyderabad: Making his way through a crowd of kite-flying enthusiasts, three-year-old Divyaansh runs in circles as his flying toy trails behind dancing in the air. It is his first time at the International Kite and Sweet Festival at the Parade Grounds, unlike his father Dheeraj Reddy who visits the ground every year for Makar Sankranti.

The huge parcel of land in the city center plays host to a mesmerizing kite festival where friends and family gather, transforming the sky above into a living canvas of color. Banter with opponents and yelling “kaate” when they descend their kites along with razor-sharp manjha, tapped fingers and suave sunglasses become a common sight.

The event organised by the Telangana State Tourism and Culture Department from January 13 to 15 will also host 40 international kite flyers from 16 countries.

“I used to come here with my late father every year to fly kites. Today, I brought my son along. I think in 2016 they turned this into a proper event with stalls and a music system. It’s really adding to the experience,” says Dheeraj.

For college-going Nishant and his three friends from Guwahati, it’s an experience of a lifetime. “Kite flying is not as popular where I come from. So, it’s nice to just have a big playground where everyone is so energized,” he says.

Heaven for those with sweet tooth

A total of 1,001 women have set up their sweets stall at the Parade Grounds as a part of the Sankranti celebrations. Open from 3 pm to 9 pm, from mishti doi, rasgulla, and badam halwa to payasam, balushahi, and plum cake, around 400 varieties of sweets are available at this three-day event.

International Kite and Sweet Festival (Photo: Anand Dharmana)

“By giving stalls only to women, we hope to empower them. They are all from different parts of the country who came to Hyderabad and settled here. All stalls are selling only homemade sweet dishes and we also have eight international participants,” informs Libby Benjamin, General Convener of the International Sweet Festival.

He adds that the event also aims to showcase the cosmopolitan nature of Hyderabad, given that both participants and organizers are a mixed group of individuals with origins from across the country.