Kite flying is a popular hobby and an exciting sport in India. The peak season for flying kites in India is during the festivals of Makara Sankranthi and Basant Panchami.
From the early times when kite flying began in India, the art of kite making has been transferred from one generation to the next. The kite making process is quite simple, and over the years many kite variations have been created. To earn a living by being a kite maker, making a large number of kites and different kinds of kites in a day requires a lot of expertise. Though, hobbyists can make basic types of kites.
The kite’s craftsmanship is of utmost importance. This simple little paper and bamboo object mass-produced is made by hand- a product of the keen eyes and talented fingers of an expert.
Kite making: The following images show the step-by-step procedure to make a simple kite. This kite has been made by an expert kite maker, in his small, but popular shop in Bandra, Mumbai, India
The ends of this semi circular stick are stuck to the rhombus shaped paper as seen in 16,16a and 16b.
These bits are pasted to provide extra adhesion- between the paper and the semicircular bamboo stick, and at the top of the rhombus, between the vertical bamboo stick and the paper.
This can be seen clearly in 18, 18a and 18b.
This long strip is rolled as can be seen here and in 20 & 20a
Scissors are used to make vertical, parallel cuts as can be seen in 22 and 22a
Thus the whole assembly time for making this delicate little flying machine is a few minutes. In places where these kites are made in large numbers, two or three people sit together and share the processes explained above thus making a faster assembly where a kite is completed in a minute or two!