Seventh Day in India - Kite Flying Festival

On Friday is the kite-flying holiday. The university and all stores are closed, people are at home, on the roof of their houses, and let kites fly. Traditional food is chikki, a sweet desert: nuts bound together by crystallised brown sugar.


Brian is on this day on a tour with Dr Piyush, to visit an ancient well. The rest of us has been invited by Sunil to join him and his family for this event in the morning. He picks us up at 9:30, and first we visit one of his friends for a brief view of the kite flying frenzy in one of the neighborhoods in Vallabh Vidyanagar. Loud music, everybody on the roofs, flying kites. Unfortunately there is very little wind, so it is difficult to get the kites up.
Then Sunil drives us to his home, where it appears to be a bit more relaxed and quiet. We go to the roof of his home, were other members of the family and friends are there to fly kites. We unwrap our kits and also let them fly. Naturally there is tea being served.

Around noon Sunil brings us back to the guest house, he will in the afternoon visit other friends out of town. We have a lunch in one of the restaurants. Then we rest a bit in the guest house, before Dr Jadeja picks us up for a tea at his home. We meet his family and have a nice chat.

Then we walk back to the quest house, where we meet Asha. Then also Brian arrives back from his day trip. We discuss the further plans, then I upload quickly a few pictures. At 6:30 Kiran picks us up for meeting his family for a traditional dinner, with the festive vegetable dish Undhui. Delicious!

A great day, full of meeting people in their homes and enjoying their hospitality.