“As soon as Naag Panchami arrived, we would gather on the rooftop of my house, eyes fixed at the sky. It was so much fun,” says Tamang.

Then, flying kites was part of Dashain festival. It was an event staged on rooftops of almost every building, where friends and siblings and family members, both old and young, gathered with their kites and reels to participate in line cutting contest. Miles high in the sky, kite battle ensued between two flyers from different parts of the neighbourhood. The strings tangled, and the kites swayed and swung until one of them was cut loose from the line. The contest did not end there. The kite runners, who were usually children, dashed off after the drifting kite. They had to be fairly quick and significantly lucky to procure the loose kite, the big prize.

“We used to be aggressive with our style. But it was not just about competition. It was festivity with guaranteed excitement,” says Tamang.

In recent years, though, kite flying has become

an outmoded form of entertainment. It is no longer held as an activity to socialise among friends, loved ones and neighbours. Dashain is here already and one can hardly see kites in the sky.

Tamang says the reason is the changing means of entertainment. None of his children share his passion for kites. “We had few ways to amuse ourselves then. Today, the children have mobile phones, computers and TVs and whatnot to keep them engaged,” he says.

Naresh Manandhar, 47, who has been selling kites and reels at Ason for the last 30 years, seconds that sentiment. He says the number of people buying kites has undergone a drastic slump over the past couple of years.“Until just five years ago, a huge crowd would wait in line to buy kites in my shop. I used to be so

busy attending the customers that I hardly had time for lunch,” says Manandhar. “Dashain no longer seems to be about people flying kites, dancing, and having fun outdoors.”

Anthropologist Suresh Dhakal says that people have moved indoors to computer games and TV because there is no open space left in the Capital. “The tall buildings and houses crammed into tight spaces and unmanageable power lines have affected the tradition of flying kites.”

Dhakal remembers how kites were an integral part of his childhood. “It was about attachment, rivalry and special knowledge on kites,” he says. “The expansion of market and the introduction of new technologies have changed the way people celebrate Dashain.”

The men who grew up with kites fear that the next generation might no longer remember the tradition of flying kites during Dashain. “It is up to us whether we let our tradition vanish or revive it by sharing with our kids the fun we had flying kites,” says Manandhar.