Lahore had a particular tradition of celebrating the new spring season. It is named ‘Basant’ and the main festivities were the kite flying program. Women used to wear white and yellow dresses resembling to the colorful flowers of spring, and feast is held in every house. People of other cities used to envy this festival, as it is was lively and joyous.
You might have noticed, I have used all ‘past tense’ while describing this festival. Yes, seems this festival is going to be buried. Lahore is losing the tradition gradually. Yes, I admit, there is always a chance of accidents and losing lives during this ‘Basant’ festivals. While flying kite, people always stay with the intention of cutting off their rival kites. So they use glasses and wires in the place of threads of kites. These wires can be dangerous electric wires. People may fall off from their rooftops as usually kites flying took place in there.
Along with these negotiated risks, ‘basant’ festival and kite flying was the most important tradition of Lahore for centuries. But, from the time various of various attacks of Islamic extremities, it has become so risky to provide the life security during the carnival. In the year 2007, Supreme Court of Pakistan banned the program completely showing the sake of ‘public security’. They mentioned it as a hazardous one which should not be carried on.
People from all over the Pakistan used to gather in Lahore during this celebration period. It is considered a boost for the Lahore economy by the columnist Huma Yusuf. After banning the festivities by the government, millions of people from Lahore and Punjab, especially women left unemployed who used to manage livelihood by making kites or everything related to this festival.
A hope was raised that, Basant may be restarted when Mr Najam Sethi, a journalist in Lahore became the interim head of the provincial government. This person is always committed to keeping the culture of the city alive. When he became the head, there was also an offer coming from the Lahore Kite Flying Association to make a specialized kite flying zone, so that, accidents can be limited and it may become easier to provide security in a limited area, and tradition can be kept alive somehow, but, all the attempts and struggle gone in vain.
In the meantime, everyone already have learned about the terrorist attack that took place in 2008 in Mumbai. The accused bellicose party, Lashkar-E-Taiba is now ruled by Jamat-ud-Dawa mainly. This Islamic extremist leader is continually threatening not to start the Basant carnival. He is warning that, if this ”Hindu- origin” and “un- Islamic” ritual comes back, dangerous terrorist attacks can take place. So polices and administrations are not ready to bear this liability. They are afraid of not being able to provide perfect public security on the day. Seems there are no hope remained to bring back the Basant festival. No one knows, when will Lahore people enjoy the day again. More and more intolerance in the ground has made the Lahore sky bare of kites.
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