Do any of you remember that jaunty song by Julie Andrews in her role as Mary Poppins, Nanny to Jane and Michael Banks? even though I saw that film half a century ago ( yes, now you definitely know I’m old) I still remember the words.
Well, kites normally take to our Indian skies at this time of year – Makar Sankrant, the festival of kites. Not only are the skies blue, but the breezes are stiff and people love watching kites ride the thermals as they colour up the sky.
Sankranthi, a day which marks the beginning of the northward movement of the sun, is one of the few Hindu festivals determined by the Solar calendar rather than the Lunar one.
This is celebrated differently in different parts of India, but from where I come, it is celebrated with kite flying and seasonal sweets and seasonal vegetables.
At this time of year with the winter at its peak, people get together in open spaces or like in my city of Mumbai on top of terrace rooftops. They enjoy soaking in the mild sun, munching on sesame seed and jaggery sweets and of course flying kites
Since last year, however, I find that there are no kites flying outside my house apart from the avian variety. Has our population converted into couch potatoes ? Or have people become aware that kite flying can be dangerous ?
This is because the handmade kites are sent up with a string called manja . Made out of powdered glass and dipped into a starch solution, this thin string rolled around a wooden reel is actually sharp enough to cut down another kite or slice off your head!
Young children who indulge in kite fights are unmindful of the sharp glass coated string tied to the kites, and run on to the streets regardless of traffic. While the birds who fly into a string, literally get beheaded in the kite fights.
Despite fewer kites in the sky, this festival has not totally become extinct. At least the food part is still followed. There is an exchange of sesame sweets ( til ladoos and halwa) which signify a cessation of hostilities with the entreaty that ” please let bygones be bygones and let our interaction be as sweet as this exchange“.
One of the traditions of my community is to mark this festival with a tea party exclusively for women. Apart from the food, the highlight of this event is a goody bag full of seasonal berries, soaked peanuts, a piece of sugar cane and some fresh green gram.
Normally, this is presented to the lady with a dab of vermillion powder and turmeric on her forehead, and a garland of flowers to put in her hair.
Several years’ ago, a cousin revived this tradition with a view to introducing her young grand daughter to this custom.
As the ladies dressed in their dressiest traditional saris munched down the tasty eats and sipped tea and coffee, I wondered why tea time has become something to gulp-on-the-go.
There is something to be said for this elegant form of entertaining where people had all the time in the world to share some gossip over a cup of tea. Isn’t it?
Twenty- five Seven 