kite running

when a kite is cut loose, it becomes a free item and it is fair for everyone and anyone to gain possession of it. some kites can be carried by the wind for long distances before they come to a abrupt halt either on a tree top, a roof top, the compound of a house or on the ground. sometimes you do get kites which are like godsend, dropping right in front of you.

there seems to be a lot of thrills in going after a drifting kite, so much so that these people - children and some grown ups - throw caution to the wind. they are so focussed on getting their hands on the kite that they seem to be oblivious to the things around them. they dash across the road, in front of oncoming traffic, risking their lives for the 5 or 10-cent kite.

the eyes of kite runners are so fixed on the loose kite that they do not seem to see or care what is ahead of them. i have seen people injuring themselves falling into drains in the process of kite running. at the jewish cemetery near my home, they will step on the grave and get on top of the tomb just to reach for their prize.

some carry long bamboo poles - those which their mothers use for hanging clothes to dry. some carry twigs and broken branches, an extension which will enable them to reach the string or the kite before the other kite chasers.

sometimes, the scene can turn ugly when more than one person lay claim to getting hold of the kite. when this happens, more often than not, one of them will damage the kite so that nobody can have it.

for those who do not relish the rush and fight for the kite, they can always look for the trailing string that is attached to the kite. sometimes, this string can be quite long and if you can get hold of it, you can take possession of the kite before it ends in the hands of the mob.

(the kite runner is a novel by afghan writer khaled hosseini. it was adapted into a film by the same name in 2007.)