National Kite Festival 2016
By Limana Solaiman Mridha
The National Kite Festival 2016 was a fun-filled event that was part of the Mega Beach Carnival, which created quite a buzz and attracted a large number of tourists to Coxs Bazaar to herald in the New Year.
On December 31, the carnival started with a colourful street rally, arranged by the Tourism Ministry and local administration to represent the cultural heritage and natural resources of the resort town, which boasts the worlds longest uninterrupted beach.
The kite festival was then inaugurated by popular writer Zafar Iqbal, president of Bangladesh Kite Federation (BKF) that organised the event. With the help of volunteers from local schools, the ceremony kicked off by hoisting a huge kite-like banner.
A little while later, the sky was adorned with kites of all shapes, sizes and hues and the enthusiastic crowd tried their best to fly the kites as high as possible.
There was a demonstration of a two seated ultra-light aircraft, which is owned by Shahjahan Mridha Benu, general secretary of BKF. The microlight aircraft circulated the festival area for several minutes as the pilot and the passenger waved to amazed onlookers on the beach below.
A special stage was built on the beach for performers of the Bangladesh Dragon and Lion Dance Association. The dancers vibrant yellow costumes showcasing traditional Chinese lion dance, mixed with our very own tiger dance, won the hearts of the crowd who went on cheering the acrobatic show.
Every evening, from Dec 31 to Jan 2, after the sun went down, hundreds of fanush (hot air paper lanterns) were flown by volunteers and anyone who was interested to experience the fun.
Science club Anishandhitshu Chokros astronomy section arranged a sky observation camp, setting up a solar telescope for daytime viewing and a Meade telescope for night-time sky gazing on the sea beach. Club members Jahangir Alam Dipu, Niaz Murshed, Nazmul Haque Raju, Al Imran Chowdhury and Shourov Debnath Udoy were at hand to explain to the viewers what celestial wonders they were seeing. There were also demonstrations of a large zorb ball and parasailing on the beach.
On the last day on Jan 2, many gigantic kites were flown along with a large dragon kite. A hot air balloon also took off early in the morning from the beach at Sugondha Point, with Shahjahan Mridha and mountaineer Nur Mohammad riding in the basket.
The entire kite festival area was decorated with a large inflatable dragon, traditional dolls and colourful gates to attract spectators from the thousands of tourists, who had flocked the beaches of Coxs Bazar for the New Year weekend.
One of the wonderful aspects of the whole event was that it was open for all and anyone who wanted could participate.
The Chinese Embassy in Bangladesh supported the kite festival, as they have been doing for some time now. Representatives of the embassy, including Cultural Counsellor Chen Shuang and Head of Consular Section Xu Xianhao, along with other officers and some family members, attended festival.
Volunteers from both Dhaka and Coxs Bazar worked hard for days to set up the various events, with the help of Al Mamun Mridha, joint secretary of BKF.
All in all, it was a happening affair that was entertaining for both locals and tourists alike.
photos: Bangladesh Kite Federation
