By Admin 
In Jaipur, a kite competition is organized on the lines of cricket, in which it is decided by tossing whether the player will fly his kite from above or below. This time this competition will be organized between February and March. However, the date has not been decided yet.
Ashok Vaishnav of Gulabi Nagar Kite Club Flying Association told that there are four players in the kite competition, out of which three players fight the kite and one is additional. He said that in this also there are three umpires like in cricket, out of which two are on the pitch while one is in the middle of the field who takes decisions keeping in mind the tricks of the kite flyers.
Toss is used to fight the match
He said that like cricket, there is a 15 feet long and 10 feet wide pitch for kite flyers, on which the kite flyers have to compete. He said that after winning the toss, the player decides whether he wants to bowl from above or below.
Vaishnav said that the special thing is that the umpire checks the size of the kite, a team has to take nine turns while the time for taking one turn is fixed for 15 minutes. He said that during this time, if any player’s kite gets cut then he is considered defeated and if both the kites are not cut then they are out of the game.
Kite flyer Govind Jangid told that there are 70-80 kite clubs in the city itself and hundreds of kite flyers. He told that in local level competition the expenditure is Rs 3 to 4 lakh and in All India competition the expenditure is around Rs 10 lakh.
‘Can’t even get a place from the government’
However, those who took kite flying to new heights in the city are feeling disappointed today. Like cricket, he and his game are not being given importance. There is no designated place for conducting kite flying competition. According to the members of the city’s Kite Club, earlier the competition was organized on the sails of Jalmahal, after which it was organized at Mali Ki Kothi on Agra Road. Now we have been demanding a place from the state government for the last several years to organize the competition, but no attention is being paid.
‘There is shortage of money for the competition’
Kite fliers say that there is a dearth of both sponsorship and money in this game similar to cricket and the situation is such that kite-related associations organize competitions by raising money at their own levels. The passion for kite flying in the city can be gauged from the fact that many kite flyers have preserved kites for years. For them, these kites are no less than a priceless asset.
‘Take care of the kite like children’
Raju Sardar, 64, director of the Golden Kite Club, said, “I have been flying kites for 40 years. I have still preserved kites that are about sixty years old. These kites are my property. I take care of them like children. Twice a year, I take them out of the box and expose them to sunlight so that they do not get spoiled.”
’40 years old kite still preserved’
At the same time, 70-year-old Kamal Singh Chauhan, who retired from the police department, said, “I have been kite flying for forty years. The forty year old kites are still with me. I have kept these kites safely because they were made by the kite makers of that time. Such kite makers are not found anymore. I have kept all these kites in their memory.”
Azhar Hussain of Abdullah Kite Club, resident of Bans Badanpura, said that he has been kite flying since 1998 and does kite flying throughout the year. He said that he also participates in kite flying competitions organized outside the state and he also has 45 year old kites.
93 year old Ahsan Haji’s passion for kites has not diminished
At the same time, 93-year-old Ahsan Haji, director of Steel Guide Club, living in Punjabi Colony, has a passion for kite flying. He says that wherever there is a kite flying competition, he goes there. Even at this age, his fondness for kite flying has not diminished and he has been kite flying since 1961.