Kite-making sends a quaint hamlet’s dreams soaring

The streets of the quaint Palasaur village echo with a soaring ambition: here, kite-making is an honourable self-employment opportunity for many.

Palasaur kites are not just popular in Tarn Taran, but can be found in shops of many major cities of Punjab, and even other states, including Jammu and Kashmir. Kite-making is a form of livelihood for over 150 families of the village. Manpreet Kaur, who works in the kite trade and is helped by her husband, says traders from Amritsar and many other cities purchase kites from the village.

The process is streamlined: According to Manpreet, traders supply raw material — chart paper, foil, bubble-wrap, kite paper, tissue paper, tape, thread, ribbon dowels and strings — to the homes of kite-makers, and pick up manufactured stock from these homes too.

She says she makes various kite types, from those sold for Rs 5 to those sold for Rs 400, with the latter gaining significant popularity in big cities.

In Palasaur, kite-making has been adopted as an additional source of income for many middle-class families, she adds.

She notes that the work garners satisfactory income, and is carried out collectively by most members of a family — including young girls — in their spare time.

Many school and college-aged youngsters of the village have taken up kite-making to fulfil their academic expenses.

Mamta — a college-going girl whose father died a few years ago — says she happily adopted the work as an additional income source, as she can now help her mother meet family expenses.

She says, after college, she spends just an hour on making kites — which earns sufficient money for her academic expenses.

The occupation proves a boon for people of all walks of life.

Roor Singh, an elderly man, says he, too, earns satisfactory income from kite-making, which also helps keep him busy.

Sarpanch Tehalbir Singh said kite-making had become to a matter of pride for the women of the area — contributing to their financial independence, and keeping them busy.

Being occupied with kite-making prevented youngsters from falling into the trap of drug addiction, the Sarpanch added.