Kite making industry is highly dependent upon Basant festival. People around the world gather in Lahore, Pakistan and enjoy the festivities of Patang Bazi (kite flying). Concerts and musical programs usually arrange and people from every walk of life take participation.
Kite flying looks lovely from far and also dangerous too. Some participants in festival use unethical ways of fight (*peecha or *aerial dogfights between kites) by using razor string. That might cut the skin of human body and most of the people who died due to this string were either looting kites or riding on bike.
Lately, Punjab government has been taking steps to regulate Basant festival. In past, basnat was banned by provincial government. Besides those steps, religious authorities and fundamental group are against such festivities.
Is basant linked with religion(Hinduism, Sikhism)?
Is basant linked with religion(Hinduism, Sikhism)?
Yes and No. **
Yes, because most of the ritualistic part of sub-continent's native religion is based on cultivation (in other words attached with land, its climate, weather, etc). Same is the case with Basant which is spring festival like Holi.
Not religious, becuase they can be and have been celebrated without any religious customs by people related to different religions, according to their own ways. We should try to learn , how to rejoice our festivals, without indulging in debates like biddati this and biddati that. After all, religion is based on intentions and that are only known to the God and not the petty human-beings.**
Kite making industry is highly dependent upon Basant festival. People around the world gather in Lahore, Pakistan and enjoy the festivities of Patang Bazi (kite flying). Concerts and musical programs usually arrange and people from every walk of life take participation.
Kite flying looks lovely from far and also dangerous too. Some participants in festival use unethical ways of fight (peecha or *aerial dogfights between kites) by using razor string. *That might cut the skin of human body** and most of the people who died due to this string were either looting kites or riding on bike.
Lately, Punjab government has been taking steps to regulate Basant festival. In past, basnat was banned by provincial government. Besides those steps, religious authorities and fundamental group are against such festivities.
Kite flying is common in Afghanistan too. It's called gudiparan bazi (gudiparan translates to "flying doll"). It was banned during the Taliban era as they considered it "un-Islamic" (I've never understood the reasoning behind this) but now people have begun flying kites again.
I quite agree with you that line/string used is quite sharp. Back home, people coat the line with glue and crushed glass or other sharp material so that it cuts the lines of other kites. I actually had a rather unfortunate incident with this. While on a visit when I was 12 or so, I tried to pull a kite back by pulling it from the line (as it was about to crash into another kite and I couldn't wind the line back fast enough). It cut across the palm of my hand and even required a couple of stitches.
Kite flying is common in Afghanistan too. It's called gudiparan bazi (gudiparan translates to "flying doll"). It was banned during the Taliban era as they considered it "un-Islamic" (I've never understood the reasoning behind this) but now people have begun flying kites again.
I quite agree with you that line/string used is quite sharp. Back home, people coat the line with glue and crushed glass or other sharp material so that it cuts the lines of other kites. I actually had a rather unfortunate incident with this. While on a visit when I was 12 or so, I tried to pull a kite back by pulling it from the line (as it was about to crash into another kite and I couldn't wind the line back fast enough) and it cut across the palm of my hand and even required a couple of stitches.
How do you see this practice of banning every second thing by tagging it un-Islamic. Isn't this promoting Islam as suffocation? A religion introduced 1400 years is being used to ban neutral things like kite flying , which were there since centuries before Islam.
^I find that it banning everything by tagging it un-Islamic is quite damaging as it makes Islam come across as intolerant and suffocating and pushes people away. I also think that bringing religion into every little aspect of life, no matter how minute (even something as innocent and neutral as kite flying), actually pushes people away from their religion.
I’ve a feeling that Taliban’s would have banned preaching of Islam, if they had lived in 14 centuries old Hejaz So much suffocation.. even pagans of Makka were more tolerant who allowed the Prophet (SAW) to convey his message in first instance. They acknowledged a person’s right to change his religion as well. Their resistance and opposition came only after Prophet (SAW) pointed things which were against their gods and related vested interests.
probably basant is when crops start growing and besakhi when crop is ready for being sold or even besakhi is celebrated when earnings flow to farmers after harvesting.
Baisakhi is an ancient harvest festival celebrated across North India, especially in the state of Punjab.which is celebrated by all Punjabi whether Muslim,Hindu or sikh.For sikhs, the Khalsa was founded on same day of Baisakhi festival so double delight for them. In Sikhism, it is one of the most significant holidays in the Sikh calendar, commemorating the establishment of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib in 1699, by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
Considered a holy day, the devout celebrate the Baisakhi with a dip in the holy rivers just around the break of dawn. It is on this day that Sun enters Aries, the first sign of Zodiac. This signifies ushering of the New Year.
In Punjab (the land of Green Revolution) particularly and in the northern belt of India in general, farmers perform their own prayers and rejoice. For on this day, they commence cutting their harvest.
The fields can be seen full of nature’s bounty. Dressed in their typical folk attire, both men and women, celebrate the day with Bhangra and Gidda. Sweets are distributed, old enmities are forgiven and life is full of joy, merriment and everyone seems to belong.
The above two are the main reasons for celebrating Baisakhi.
Baisakhi, however, has had a new dimension added to it by Guru Gobind Singh. For it was on the day of Baisakhi in 1669, that he established the Khalsa Panth and gave a final impetus to the course of the earlier nine Gurus of Sikhism.
A rural festival of North India, marking the beginning of the solar year (New year), celebrated in Punjab with great fervor. For the Sikhs the day is a collective celebration of New Year along with the commemoration of the founding of the Khalsa Panth (Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.
It also signifies the end of harvest of the main crop. During Baisakhi the farmers give ‘thanks’ to the Lord Almighty for their fortune and pray for a better crop the next year. Baisakhi involves a lot of socializing where friends and relatives are invited and delicious meals are served.
The holy book of the Sikhs, ‘Granth Sahib’ is taken in a procession, led by the ‘Panj Pyaras’ (five senior Sikhs) who are symbolic of the original leaders. The occasion is celebrated with great gusto at Talwandi Sabo, where Guru Gobind Singh stayed for nine months and completed the recompilation of the Guru Granth Sahib and in the Golden temple in Amritsar.
On Baisakhi day, water is drawn from all the sacred rivers of India and poured in to the huge tank surrounding the golden temple.
)… is also used for kite in Pakistan…
So much suffocation.. even pagans of Makka were more tolerant who allowed the Prophet (SAW) to convey his message in first instance. They acknowledged a person’s right to change his religion as well. Their resistance and opposition came only after Prophet (SAW) pointed things which were against their gods and related vested interests.