Basant frenzy kicks off in Punjab metropolis
Pakistan Times National News Desk

LAHORE: With deafening sounds of music and thousands of colourful kites soaring in the air, the much-awaited Basant gala began in the Punjab capital on Saturday evening.

Basant, a festival of colours and kites, has helped Lahore attain a very respectable place on the world cultural map in the recent years.

People of Punjab especially Lahorites have always been fond of kite-flying. Yet the celebration of Basant through kite-flying got currency during 1980s.

Since then, its popularity among the people of Lahore and even in other towns of Pakistan has been on the rise.

According to a Punjabi maxim, 'Aya Basant, Pala Urant', Basant marks the end of chilly weather and blossoming of mustard flowers in the fields of Punjab and even in some parts of neighbouring India.

Despite the fact that the Basant festivity is now spread across the city, but the old localities of provincial capital like walled city, Islampura, Sanda, Samanabad, Mozang, Ichhra, Misri Shah, Shad Bagh, Baghbanpura and Wassanpura remained the major theatres of kite-flying competition among the Basant revellers.

Besides Lahorites, thousands of people from other parts of Pakistan and other countries have poured into the city to celebrate Basant at the homes of their relatives and friends.

City police has made elaborate security arrangements to check the incidents of aerial firing and the use of metallic wire and chemical coated twine for flying kites.

However, Lahorites faced severe problems due to frequent tripping in the distribution system of LESCO.

"We have been having frequent power suspensions throughout the day," said Fareed Ahmed, a resident of Allama Iqbal Town locality.

Kite-flying and other events of Basant will continue till Sunday evening.●