On a mild spring afternoon, the rooftops of Lahore seemed to rise toward the sky itself. Children leaned over parapets, elders shaded their eyes, and music drifted between narrow lanes as kites—bright, trembling, defiant—climbed into the pale blue expanse. After a ban that stretched nearly two decades, the city once again allowed the skies to fill with color during the beloved festival of Basant.

For many in Lahore, Basant is not merely a celebration of spring; it is a season of memory. Rooftops become stages, and the wind becomes both rival and companion. The sharp tug of string against palm, the careful maneuvering to outfly a neighboring kite, the triumphant cry when one thread slices another—these rituals once defined the city’s February air. But concerns over safety, including injuries linked to metal-coated strings and celebratory gunfire, led authorities to halt the festival years ago, grounding more than just paper and bamboo.

Now, under tighter regulation and renewed public debate, kites have returned. Officials emphasized safeguards designed to prevent past tragedies, including restrictions on hazardous materials and closer monitoring of gatherings. Supporters see the revival as a restoration of cultural heritage, an affirmation that tradition can coexist with responsibility. Critics remain cautious, mindful of earlier incidents that prompted the ban.

As twilight approached, the sky above Lahore shimmered with motion—yellows, pinks, deep blues—each kite a small declaration against the long silence. The city’s skyline, punctuated by minarets and terraces, watched as laughter replaced the hush of prohibition. For younger generations, it was a first glimpse of a story told by parents and grandparents; for older residents, it was the return of something almost forgotten.

When the wind softened and the last kites drifted down, fragments of paper clung to wires and branches, evidence of a day suspended between nostalgia and renewal. Whether Basant’s revival marks a lasting chapter or a cautious experiment remains to be seen. But for one afternoon, Lahore’s sky reclaimed its role as canvas, and spring arrived not quietly, but on strings stretched toward the sun.

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Sources

Reuters BBC News Dawn Al Jazeera The Express Tribune