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| Kites take-off for the skies last Thursday at the Basant Festival organized by the Pakastani Student Association. (Foto: Gijs van Ouwerkerk) |
The skilled kite fighters in Pakistan rely on the velocity of the wind, an ample dose of luck and the careful construction of the kite and string. The objective of this Basant tradition is simple: cut the string of a rival's kite and watch as it descends lazily to the ground.
Even though the kite strings at the UT festival were benignly made of cotton with a wax coating, some Pakistani kite makers use a paste to encrust the string with shards of glass or metal, providing some flyers with an advantage over their competitors and causing serious accidents each year.
`When we were children we always flew kites on the streets,' said Saba Nisar, one of many women applying henna tattoos. `Kite flying was adapted to the tradition only recently, but kite flying has been around for a long time in Pakistan.'
Last Thursday, nearly two hundred people flocked to the terrain in front of the Vrijhof, eyes glued to the skies to watch the kites dodging and maneuvering. A group of PSA students, wearing the traditional Basant clothing (kurta shalwar and kameez shalwar) formed a circle and danced in a style expressing great jubilation.
`We want to show people that we are a people who are always for peace, love and harmony. You can say that it is a sad time in Pakistan, but we are pretty hopeful this time will pass. We are here to show that ninety percent of the people of Pakistan are like us; it's only a few black sheep, who are always there and they are making a mess of things,' said Imran Fazal, one of the original founders of PSA and a post-doctoral candidate in the department of Electrical Engineering.
`My city in Lahore in the province of Punjab is famous for this tradition,' said Fazal. He started the association with only a handful of students, and he estimates the current membership of PSA has grown to 20 UT students and 20 ITC students, who regularly attend planned activities. `I should definitely recognize Karin Paardenkooper (Head of the International Department). She was the motivating force behind the formation of the association.'
The Pakistani Student Association invites new members to join. The membership fee is €10. For further information, send an e-mail to Abdul Rauf, the General Secretary of PSA: [email protected]
