The sky above the Sabarmati riverfront turned colourful on Monday and the venue brimmed with joyful festivity as the International Kite Festival — Patangotsav 2010 — kicked off amidst great fanfare.
More than 120 kite flyers from 34 different countries and 105 kite-flyers from various states of the country are participating in the festival. Chief minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the festival passed on the message of protecting the environment while appealing to ensure safety of birds and citizens during the kite festival. State tourism minister Jaynarayan Vyas, speaker of Gujarat assembly Ashok Bhatt, state education minister Ramanlal Vora, state industrial minister Saurabh Patel accompanied Modi to the festival.
“The commendable economic development made by Gujarat is acknowledged by the country and people abroad,” said, Narendra Modi in his inaugural speech at the Sabarmati riverfront.
Commenting on the kite festival, Modi said, “This festival is our way to show love towards nature and environment. While global warming is posing serious threat to the world and mankind, this message of love for environment is extremely essential.”
He also appealed to the people to ensure their safety and protect the birds, who become the main casualty during Uttarayan. The chief minister said, “Sometimes accidents happen amid the excitement, at times, sharp thread used to fly kites injure and kill birds. I appeal that people take care and refrain from hurting themselves or the birds.”
Nearly 7,500 students from 100 schools of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation performed Surya Namaskar and students from Gujarat Bhagwat Vidyapeeth chanted Sanskrit shlokas at time of inauguration. Amdavadis gathered in large numbers to get a first-hand feel of the international festival.
After his speech Modi visited the various theme pavilions. He also enjoyed a boat ride in the Sabarmati river along with Kamlesh Patel, chairman of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited (TCGL).
