A flying squad had taken over the beaches of Mamallapuram. The members came armed with large kites and long lines. As they released their dramatically shaped kites into the air, turning the sky into a colourful mosaic, the crowds clapped and hooted in delight.
At the recently concluded Tamil Nadu International Kite Festival, Ashok Shah turned out to be quite the superstar. The 60-year-old from Dahanu Road, near Mumbai, unveiled a selection of 30 kites, including one with LED lights. They were all hits, especially the one shaped like Superman, and a set of 100 kites (strung together by a single string and flown as one long unit). “I kept flying those for more than two hours. The audience just wouldn’t let me leave,” he laughs, as few others requested him to wait while they clicked a flurry of photographs. He wanted to bring more, but “domestic flights allow only 15 kilograms per head and some of my kites weigh around 16 kilograms. I came with my wife and two helpers, so we managed 60 kilograms amongst us,” he adds.
