Sky Turns Empty

Dashain is right around the corner. As one of the most anticipated festivals in Nepal, Dashain brings families together. The arrival of Dashain also brings new clothes, good food, lots of card games, and the excitement of flying kites. The sky, usually filled with colorful kites, adds another layer of excitement to the festival. However, these days, the skies are empty.

I remember, a month before Dashain, being excited to fly kites. I would ask my father to buy me kites and run to the terrace to fly them. Not only me, but the kids around the neighbourhood, even adults, ran across the terrace trying to hold the string. The whole neighbourhood would turn into a battle arena, competing to see whose kite was going to fly higher while cutting others’ kites. The sky would turn into a colourful battlefield filled with laughter, excitement and friendly competition. 

Flying kites was a part of Dashain - a tradition that every child enjoyed and every adult joined. Today, however, I look towards the sky. The sky is still the same, clear blue with cloud flakes. But kites? None to be seen. The rooftops have become quiet. The streets have become quiet. And the sky has become empty. The absence of kites in the sky somehow reflects how we are losing our traditions to this modern lifestyle.