No kites this Basant too!

By
anjum
-
52
504

Basant enthusiasts would have to spend another year without the festivities as City District Government Lahore (CDGL) sources on Wednesday revealed that ban on the kite-flying festival would be upheld, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Official decision on Basant festival is still to be out as a committee head by District Coordination Officer Noor-ul-Amin Mengal deliberates on the fate of the annual festivities. However, sources in the CDGL claimed that the ban on the kite-flying festival would continue and that this decision had been taken in the “larger interest” of people. Kite-flying is traditionally associated with the spring festival of Basant and marks an important cultural event in province. However, over the last few years it has resulted in loss of life as well as levied a cost on the purse of the city government.
A senior CDGL official on the condition of anonymity said the ban was imposed because the media had highlighted incidents of death caused by people falling from high places or motorcyclists entangled in deadly kite string during the festival.
Talking to Pakistan Today, a resident of Mozang Sehroz Alam said, “We really have no one to blame except for ourselves for this ban. It is the collective failure of the entire city for such untoward incidents and it is easy to blame the government when they occur.”
He added that perhaps it was a fitting punishment that a festival of joy that had caused so much misery was banned.
The decision to ban Basant was not welcomed by all citizens. Emminent socialite Yousaf Salahuddin was of the view that if proper safety precautions were taken, there was no reason why the festival could not continue. He said that if motorcycles were banned during the event, it could save a lot of lives being lost because of the deadly string. He said that Basant was of immense economic importance to the city as it led to sales of kites and also placed the city on the cultural map of the world. He added that if the government made announcements for the festival in advance, precautionary measures could be taken to avoid loss of life. According to a kite-maker, there were about 25,000 families involved in making kites. They were facing financial hardships because of the ban on Basant.
“People who have been in the kite-making business for years have no other means to earn their livelihood,” he said.
Muhammad Shafi, a kite string maker, said that his family had been in the business for decades and did not know any other work, so they suffered greatly over the last few years. “My mother died because I didn’t have the money for her treatment,” he said.A Lahore-based kite maker also added that the ban on Basant in the city had caused him to take his business elsewhere. “Many kite lovers still enjoy flying kites in other districts regularly. This has kept many kite-making businesses to thrive despite the ban,” he said.

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52 COMMENTS

  1. NO BASANT, AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT UP WITH THE LAHORITES???????????? COM' ON MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. bhai govt pagal ke putar hi. is ko pata ni keuon samaj ni ate. motor bike par raad lgan
    kuch ni ho ga. ye experiment hum sub ne kia hi. basant to sirf 2din hon chey. is man urbon dollar k busniess hota hi

  7. Ab to FSD main b nai hoti basant bhai log…. suna hai k is dafa ban khatam kar diya hai lahore or FSD main

  8. Here is what I think the government should do,they should ban motor cycles on some main roads on the day of the basant,they should also take applications from the kite and string venders and only allow them to sell under supervision at a monitored area.Basant has been around longer then Pakistan,its a tradition,it must go on.Thousands of families depend on it.Please don't give me the cost on the purse of the government,the government spends more money on one VVIP in one day then 100 basants.Sure we must share the blame as the typical Pakistanis like to go over board with everything.I spent my entire childhood flying kites in Gwal mandi,since 1980,I have come back to Pakistan 7 times for basant.Now its been I don't know 5 or 6 years since I have flown a kite.Lets fix our thinking,get soe control on the banned chemical dor and start celebrating the basant again.i bo kata my friends.

    • If the government can ban cell phones and bikes on a holiday to prevent people from dying,they can take the same approach with basant.No excuses please.How many people have died in Karachi and Baluchistan ? I don't see any bans there for anything.This is just another way for them to penalize Punjab like electric load shedding I think.This is very doable both both sides will have to meet in the middle.

  9. Someone tell me where I can have basant in Pakistan,any other place on earth is not the same.Its got to be in Pakistan.

    • there is a flexible plastic wire if it is attatched on the top(front and back end) of the bike it could prevent the biker from string as the string would slip away on top of the wire…….it is not a costly option……as far as the incidents from aerial firing are concerned the mahulla(council) commmittes consisting of elders from every council could start a campaign to convince and demotivate people who do aerial firing and ruin the event for everybody. the committee can also keep a check and have the police support to stop people ho do aerial firing. these are the active and effective measures according to my point of view which can prevent incidents and revive BASANT FESTIVAL in our historical Lahore city…Yar truly, i wait for it every year hoping that government may take some active steps to revive it. iof u agree to it support it……..

  10. Thousands of people are dying in blasts but no one in doing anything with that but when we talk about basalt they got a problem. .that’s not good

  17. I request govt to revive basant festival.Every person have a soft corner in his heart for basant.. please do somthing we are missing this occassion in lahore..lahore is an historic city and lahore is loosing his all cultures day by day…plz make some law for basant..Supreme court also said punjab govt to make law and open this occassion but this govt done nothing…

  18. those of you who want ban on motorbikes, please calm down. I use motor bike every single day and I have a right to do and will strongly oppose.

    Can any one guarantee, a boy walking aside the road, a electrician on a pole, a student on bus top roof would be safe? come on kite loves! I have a solution.

    We can acquire the space from "Raiwindians" and have a huge bash there for the sake of it!

  20. yar guys basant honi chaheya honi chaeya kun ky is sy hamry mulk my turism barta ha or hamray mulk my puri duniya sy looog atty ha basant manany? or jahan tak marny ka sawal ha sb ny ek marna lazmi ha bashak wo basant py maray ya phr kisi or tariky sy..

  22. Basant ban is not the solution it is a colourful festival its my suggestion that only limited size and dor should be availble at shops which should be registered from local govt (town hall) and in march only two days may be allow to celebrate this festival !

  32. my peshwar sy hu mjy door or guday chiye whole sale ka mjy koi bta skta hy k sb sy sasta mjy kahn sy mily ga agr koi ksi b whole saler ko janta hy ya cell number ho oska then plz mj sy contact kry 0346 9200533 mj sy dirct contct kry mera nam umer hy

  33. wazeer a alla punja najm sethi na lahore main basant karna ka ellan kardiya ha 17 aprial

  35. Supreme court also said punjab govt to make law and open this occassion but ex govt done nothing …now I request to new cm that let it happen this year…we are missing this occassion in lahore..

  37. in ko shaid yae yad nai k phalae b basant hoti thi koi kamm nai hae na govt k pas krnae ko to wo asae logo ko tang krti hae and yae sarae haram k pilae kud har kujar khana krtae hain tab to koi nai kuch khta pir to in ko mhnghai b khtam kr daeni chaiyae because 100 sae zaida bunda pakistan mae sirf mhanghai ki waja saae marta hae koi kud kushi kr k or koi kisi galat kam mae mulawis ho k

  42. I am a lover of kites .I want to enjoy basant this time.If the basant will open I will give vote to Najam sathi next time

  43. Aow Hum Mil ker basant ke date decide kertay hain or puray city mein shoor macha daitay hain is terha basant ho be sakti hai 🙂

  44. 5 sall sai mairi ankhai taras gai hai asman ko rango mai bhra daikhnai k liyai Kan taras gai hai I BO KATA ki awaz sonanai k liyai Kitni khushi milti thi yr I MISS U Bassant I LOVE YOU BASSANT.

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