In Pics: Kites of All Shapes Take Flight at Sabarmati Riverfront

Nationals from 45 countries and people from 13 Indian states participated in the event at the Sabarmati Riverfront

Colourful kites can be seen in the sky at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad

(Photo: Rahul Nair/The Quint)

The International Kite Festival is integral to Gujarat’s cultural heritage. State organisers leave no stone unturned to host the world’s finest kite fliers at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.

The week-long festival culminated on 14 January, Uttarayan, on a day when almost all Amdavadis fly kites. In this year’s edition of the International Kite Festival, nationals from 45 countries and people from 13 states within the country participated in the event at the Sabarmati Riverfront.

Organisers said 151 participants included nationals of the United States, United Kingdom, Cambodia and Nepal. This year, the Gujarat government has also decided to organise a kite festival at Kevadia, the site of the Statue of Unity, a memorial to Sardar Patel.

The Quint brings you a few snapshots from this year’s International Kite Festival.

Some kites carried the message of unity.

Kites like the ‘Caterpillar’ were a favourite among children.

India’s national animal flies high.

Catching the wind at the right moment.

A World War relic takes the form of a kite and reignites the sky.

The joy of take-off.

A rainbow-themed ‘unidentified flying object’.