Kai po che! Colourful kites take to the skies in Jaipur

Kite flyers from India and abroad showed their skills of flying kites on the first day of kite festival which kicked off here on Tuesday.

Kite flyers from the USA, Canada, UK, Holland, Belgium, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia participated on the first day of the two-day event which has been organised to celebrate festival of 'Makar Sankranti' at Chitrakoot Stadium in Jaipur.

Kites measuring across 4 to 5 metres and in different shapes and sizes such as dragon-shaped, birds, fish and others were flown in the sky.

Kite flyers from different parts of the country including Mumbai, Mangalore, Rajkot also brought their colourful creations to fill the skies of Jaipur.

A number of kite makers partook in the festival organised by the department of tourism with private partners, a statement said.

Kite flying is a popular activity on the occasion on Makar Sankranti which is celebrated on January 14.

Sale of kites and glass laced thread (manjha) peaked today with people, mostly young, purchasing kites of different shapes and sizes and manjhas for Makar Sankranti.

Markets like Haldiyon Ka Rasta, Handipura and others are flooded with kites and other materials.

On the day of Makar Sankranti, the skyline of the city is dotted with colourful kites.

This year, kites bearing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face are much in demand.

"Besides regular designs, people are crazy about fancy kites having pictures of the prime minister. These are selling like hot cakes," a kite trader Prakash Panwar said.