Read Before You Head Out To Fly Kites This Sankranti |Safety Tips| 

By Johnson D’Souza

The Sankranti Festival is just around the corner, and the people from Hyderabad are eagerly waiting for the festival kites. Hyderabadis take their kite flying skills very seriously, and Sankranti is the season when all of this is being displayed in full vigour. Most men re-visit their inner child when it comes to this festival, as kites have been something that most of us have experienced since the start of our memories. The festival does see people of many faiths come together for their love of kites.

While the act of flying a kite is something that brings happiness to many, it also associates itself with a lot of dangers, most of which many of us are oblivious to. Here are a few tips you can follow to ensure that these dangers are not associated with one of your experiences.

Fly The Kite In An Empty Open Air Plot

It Always Is better to fly your kite in an open plot so you have the open skies as your playground. It also keeps you away from the shocking hums of the electric lines, that run on the lanes of every colony. It also gives you a chance to mingle with the many others who come with their kites. The possibilities are endless, competitions, food and a healthy gathering of fun-loving people.

Avoid Flying Kites Near Roads

This is something many of our Indian kids need to be aware of. Many kids start flying their kites anywhere as soon as they step out of their houses. This brings very high risk to the commuters on the road. The lower one's kite tends to hover, the more risk it has of coming in the way of someone going at a speed, and if a paper cut can slit your finger, this is a thread coated with glass on it. Ill just leave the rest to your imagination.

Avoid Glass Coated Manjas (Threads)

Glass Manjas was a craze at one point, as we all were big fans of collecting affa Kites. What is this affa , you may ask? Affa is when one kite cuts the thread attached to another kite, letting that kite drift through the air. Glass manjas, were the best for Increasing our affa scores, but they are so sharp that they sometimes tend to cut through one's fingers. That’s not it when birds come in contact with these threads, they face a threat of slitting themselves. Some birds are found on the ground with bad wounds and no one to take care.

Avoid Terraces To Fly Kites

As and when our city turned into the concrete jungle that it is, many people started to resort to their terraces to fly kites. While it is a convenient idea, it seems to have its own risks attached. While you fly your kite, you have one of your senses completely engaged in the act. This is the sense of sight, which is one of the most important senses that can comprehend danger around and make you avoid it. So while flying a kite, you might not calculate your steps in a way to avoid the edges.

Do Not Fly Kites In Wet Weather Conditions

While the weather plays a very important role in the flying of a kite, even bad weather can play an inverse role to make the experience one that you wouldn’t want to remember. Wet weather can ruin your kite puncturing the kite (if it's made of paper) and it would also jeopardize the look of your kite. But the most dangerous of it is that wet thread, is a good conductor of electricity. It could come in contact with a live wire, and what happens after is left to the intensity of electricity on the live wire.

Avoid Running Behind Kites That Have Been Cut (remember, affa)

When the options are a kite hanging on a tree, and a risk of injury, avoid the kite. Life’s a lot more important. Stop children from climbing trees, poles and other people's terraces to collect cut kites. Sometimes kids are found running behind kites while locking their eyes on the kite slowly making its way down. They do not pay heed to the surroundings, and if they ran into something stationary, it would make for viral content, if captured. The problem arises when they run into moving objects. You don't want to either be that person or see someone be that person.

Wear The Necessary Gear

Lastly, see that you wear fully covering cloths, to protect yourself from the sun. Wear sunglasses as sometimes you can tend to look directly at the sun while flying your kite. Wear gloves to avoid any cuts, wear shoes to see that you don’t step on anything sharp while your eyes are on the kite

Also Read: Makar Sankranti 2020: Everything You Need To Know