“Look at these colourful paper kites around me! They are not made at a random factory that produces them in bulk! Instead, they are made by artisans and traditional kite-makers! Each one of these require a lot of hard work and efforts. Today, people just want to opt for imported kites made of plastic. It affects the environment, of course, but it also cuts down our profits drastically. There’s a scientific reason behind every festival and practice that we follow while making kites. The manja we sell is made of glass in extreme heat conditions, while the kites are made of paper. There are many shop owners like me in this area who have been making kites for more than 50 years. My shop is 100-years-old, and it was started by my grandfather. I learnt the technicalities and nitty-gritty of kite-making right from my childhood – it’s an ancestral profession that I want my children to follow as well. But if this is the status of this business, there’s no future for us. There’s no value of this art and that’s the sad reality. But I don’t want to shut my business down. If we also give up on these age-old practices, then who will keep them alive?”

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