“I want this business to end with me. I do not want my children to move into this. I’ve been selling kites for the last 30 years. My father used to make kites at first, then I took over. We mostly stick to the traditional designs of kite making. It has been our family business right from my grandfather’s days. In between my wiring work and murti making business, I make kites. My work usually keeps me up till at least one at night.

If three members of my family work together, we can make anywhere between 200 kites and 250 kites in a day. Due to low demand over the last few years, many of my cousins have switched over to other trades.
While most of the raw materials are available in Old City, we get the paper rolls from Ahemdabad and Indore. It is from us that kites move to retail shops in the city. From Rs 2, the prices of the kites could go as high as Rs 70. The cost of paper kites and quality is higher than that of plastic ones that are made in factories. However, the majority of people look for plastic varieties as they are sold at cheaper rates.

People don’t really understand the hard work that goes into this. This year due to Covid-19, there has been no business for us. Small kite sellers who set up shops in the streets have not placed orders this time with me due to the uncertainty. At present, business is almost down by 40% and I only hope I sell the remaining kites to carry something positive out this year! A very Happy Sankranti to you!”

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