Can you fly a kite??
By bhawnam
@bhawnam (1436)
India
14 responses
@daotherhalf (456)
• Nepal
25 Jan 07
Ya i can fly kite.. i used to fly alot in mah childhood but i left dat coz m not interested in it now...
@AKRao24 (27424)
• India
25 Jan 07
Oh Yes! I Love Kites and I was an expert in flying them. I have spent my childhood in the state of Majjarashtra, where flying of Kites is a favorite pastime for Children and adults alike. People fly their kites between onset of November and end of january as this is the time whe we get nice wind in the sky.The Day of Sankrant is dedicated in the name of Kites by one and all and on that day we can see kites n the sky giving the feeling,as if a swarm of bees have occupied the sky! I was not only expert in flying the kites but I was expert in making the Kites also. It requires a natural skill and inclination and by experience, we can make kites as per our requirements. What I mean to say, is we can make fighter kites which travell very fast and cantake turns easily and are very swift to fly. On the other hand we can make kites which are stable even in a strong winds and no expertise is required in flying such kites. Today if I think it was the principle of aerodynamics we were using then, without knowing the fact that we are using the principle!I love the colourful kites and the various designs used by people. I experimented a bit when I was a kdid by using a Plastic Sheet instaed of paper and it was appreciated by ne and all at that time and today it is a common thing to see such kites in the market! I made a kite resembling the shape of Human being and when the kite used to fly in the sky all the people used to look at it with astonishment. I used three sticks instead of two for the kite! I also ventured to use Nylon/ PVC thread instead of traditional thread for flying the Kite, which was not only strong but had good tensile strength, quite suitable for kite flying! I discovered this thread accidentally. One day while my mother was washing her dishes I noticed that the brush what she was using was given away and few threads were seen coming out of that brush! Then I bought a new brush and dismantled it to found that the thing was knitted like a Sock and by opening that sock, to my surprice I had an excellent material for my kite flying!
Traditinally I used to prepare a thread coated with glass powder which we used to call as 'Manja' locally. This thread was used to cut the others kite lines in the Kite fights which were refered as 'Pecha' locally! It was an wonderful experience I had with kites as a Kid and even as a grown up too to some extent!
I think Kiteflying like Cycling can never be forgotten if learnt once! I am still confident at the age of 47 still I can fly a kite as efficiently as I used to fly when I was a kid of 12 years!
@bhawnam (1436)
• India
25 Jan 07
It is actually very fascinating to hear that you can actually make kites and also that you are indeed a very creative person. Here also we use the same slang as you have stated .. manja.. pecha and all but i never thaught that one could experiment so much with kites. thanx for your response and it was really nice to hear from you.
@sarkar121 (63)
• Pakistan
25 Feb 07
i am professional in kite flying. i have been flying since 8 years. n have much experence abt how to cut some one else kite...
@Archduchess (19)
•
24 Feb 07
I never had a kite as a child - I always wanted one, my dad said he'd make one, but we just never got the time. When I was 15 or 16, me and my other half bought a Star Wars kite and spent evenings flying it over on the local school field.
Fast forward to when I was about 20, other half started working with a guy who flew powerkites, and we went out and bought a two line kite and flew it constantly for a few weeks. However, it wasn't enough challenge, and we ended up buying a 3.6 metre four line power kite, then a 5 metre, then an even more powerful one, then buggies and boards so we could get pulled along the beach, and then even better kites!
It's a fabulous hobby, but very expensive, and addictive! It's a really good work out for your back, shoulders and legs, but I can end up aching after a long session on the beach, not to mention sunburn - when it's windy you don't notice how hot that sun actually is - and if the wind doesn't change direction, you'll have the sun on the same side of you for hours - going to a job interview with one ear and side of your face bright red is a really good look, honest!
This year I want to get better at using my landboard - I love the feel of the power of the kite when it is pulling through my arms and shoulders, and when it's pulling me along the sand on my feet - I can't wait to harness that feeling on wheels - I highly recommend you have a go, but don't blame me if you get addicted!
@Rumple (301)
• South Africa
16 Feb 07
i flew a kite for the first time a couple of months ago. It was one of those proper kites that you fly on the beach. I hadnever flown one before and found it pretty easy and a lot more fun than i originally thought it would be :)
its fun for about the first 5 minutes though and then you get bored unless you can pull off some nice tricks with it
Practice makes perfect
@randomosity_prevails (1110)
•
21 Feb 07
I can't fly a kite very well at all! When I was younger, my friends and I would sit for hours, making a kite, colouring it, making it pretty. We'd go to fly it, and it would be stuck in a tree within seconds. I'm not very good at measuring where the wind is going!