participants were from as far afield as tamil nadu uttar pradesh chandigarh gujarat jodhpur and other places kiteflying is his hobby and he does it quite frequently i wish the wind speed was better today he added he flew a 20foot kite with a 40metrelong tail and an intricately designed ganesha kite devinder pal singh from chandigarh who is a forensic scientist and flies kites as a hobby showcased a series of kites that urged children to stop bursting crackers and using plastic bags there was a staggering variety of kites from a huge 20foot kite with a 40m tail to a ganesha kite and another one representing the unity of three religions in india and people went all out to display their passion for kiteflying a trend that has fast been fading i give children kites for free if they agree to stop bursting firecrackers kites are the perfect way to spread awareness about important issues h kapur who has been flying kites for 30 years and used to make brass spools finds kiteflying to be addictive i have made this kite to drive home the message that unity is extremely important it can be so addictive that the kite will start flying you instead of the other way round some like asghar belim from jodhpur took this opportunity to display their collection of unique kites inspirational messages can be display through the medium of kites said belim who has flown kites at festivals in france belgium switzerland and germany children and adults flocked to the festival to try their hand at flying kites belim said all kite flyers should say no to plastic kites as they are not biodegradable and to sharp chinese thread that often leads to accidents by piercing the skin the festival organized by delhi tourism in association with shahjahanabad redevelopment corporation and the department of art and culture was inaugurated by chief minister sheila dikshit the festival also had kite flyers campaigning for environmental issues the sky was dotted with kites of all colours and sizes but for the absence of strong winds the event would have been picture perfect the department should have started the festival at 7am instead of noon because fresh cool air is great for kiteflying he said belim said nowadays kites were priced between rs 2 and rs 2 lakh she set the mood for the festival by symbolically flying a string of colourful kites the last kiteflying festival i attended was in sri lanka people from all religions and regions should live together in peace said m sundaramurthy who works for the chennai petroleum corporation a kite trail of over 100 kites was one of the highlights of the festival the big kites priced in lakhs are not sold in india the wind was very good there and helped the kites to soar people who had gathered at india gate to participate in delhis first kiteflying festival had a ball flying some of the