Ahmedabad:
Wrapped in piles of colorful paper, Muhammad Yunus is one of thousands of workers in India’s western state of Gujarat who make kites by hand that are used during a major harvest festival.
People in Gujarat celebrate Uttarayan, a Hindu festival in mid-January that celebrates the end of winter by flying kites coated with glass or held on plastic strings.
“A kite seems like a small thing but it takes a lot of time to make it. Many people are involved and their livelihood depends on it,” says Yunus, a Muslim who came to Gujarat from neighboring Rajasthan to make kites. comes peak season, told Reuters.
According to government estimates, more than 130,000 people are involved in kite-making across Gujarat, many of whom work from home making kites for less than five rupees (6 US cents).
At the start of the two-day festival, people rent roofs and terraces from those who have access to them, and gather there to fly colorful kites that cross each other in the sky.
Gujarat is the center of the country’s kite industry, valued at 6.5 billion Indian rupees ($76.58 million), and the state accounts for about 65 percent of the total number of kites produced in India.
While the kite flying season in the state is limited to just two or three days in January, according to government data, the industry provides employment to around 130,000 people in the state throughout the year.
But these paper birds are also harmful and can be deadly, especially kites with plastic strings, which can seriously injure birds in the sky and kill and injure thousands during the festival. can
At least 18 people died from kite-related injuries across Gujarat during this year’s Uttarayan festival, including cuts from wires and electrocution while trying to fly kites from electric poles. Reuters