Gujarat’s kite fest gets underway
India Daily
There was a spectacular riot of colours in skies over the city as Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday inaugurated the International Kite Festival on the banks of the Sabarmati here. Kites of all hues soared high into the skies and enthusiasts joined in celebrations of the four-day Uttarayan festival. Scores of kiteflyers from India and around 65 from abroad, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, China, Japan, Lebanon, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Israel, Malaysia, Belgium and Australia, are participating in this event. These kites are of various kinds and shapes, some displaying messages of goodwill and peace. While the Japanese have got kites fitted with digital cameras, others have got musical ones. A Danish kitemaker has box kites made of bamboo and Japanese paper. Addressing a large gathering at the riverfront project site, Modi said kites are symbols of progress and this festival was a prelude to Gujarat’s celebration of 2014 as the Year of Tourism. “Though Gujarat has made all round progress, it has not made any mark on the country’s map. Tourism is an important sector which can provide employment to a large number of people, right from the autorickshaw driver to the old woman who makes toys or handicraft items and of course the hoteliers,” he said. Without naming the Congress, he took a dig at the party for criticising his government. He said, “if not us, at least trust your party’s government at the Centre. The figures given by the Central Government say that Gujarat is ranked number one among all states in terms of attracting investment.” Giving a comparison with Maharashtra against which “Gujarat is traditionally pitted against,” Modi said while in 2004, the former got Rs 9,000 crores worth investment, for Gujarat the figure was Rs 28,000 crores. Last year, while Maharashtra claimed to have received Rs 15,000 crores worth of investment, Gujarat’s figures have more than doubled and climbed upto Rs 60,000 crores. “These are Central Government’s figures. We want all states to develop and only then can India be a world leader,” he said. A cultural programme was organised at the venue where singer Hema Sardesai, Great Indian Laughter show winners Ehsan Khureshi and Raju Srivastava, child star Jai Chhaneria from Rajkot enthralled the audience with their performances. Heritage walks, cultural shows and Vishwa Gujarati Sammelan will also be held during the four-day long festival. The Sammelan will be attended by over 5,000 Gujaratis from all over the world. Today, Anand will host the Patang Mahotsav (kite fest). The fest has been organised at an estimated cost of Rs 70 lakhs, which would be shared by the Gujarat Government and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
