Basant Ban
The hue and cry raised by a certain section of the society on the recent banning of Basant by the Lahore High Court compels me to bring forward my point of view.
These people mourn for the loss of a cultural event which attracted thousands of foreigners from all over the world. In the prevailing geopolitical situation, I hardly think that a bunch of colorful kites would be able to lure an already fear stricken foreigner to a death trap. Moreover this cultural loss might be a matter of concern for a handful of socialites and five star hotels but not for the common man.
It saddened me to read the post Sir, we can’t control this. “Then ban it” where the blogger citing reasons for the ban on Basant writes, “The reasons quoted were not many – two in fact, one being the loss to human life and the other being disruption in WAPDA’s electricity supply causing monetary loss”, as if these two reasons are not good enough. The blogger goes on to write, “The ban on Basant is silly. Loss of life and loss of the ever-so-present WAPDA supply are not reasons at all. And here’s why: the loss of life is not because the kite-flying itself is dangerous. Kite-flying has been around for quite some time. The murderous streak now automatically tagged with basant itself, has been introduced through the development of stronger string”.
Stronger string or not, if kite-flying has been around for quite sometime then so are the deaths related to this festival. Why do we forget hundreds of innocent lives lost which are not related to the killer string but are still a part and parcel of this event? We can try to get scot-free by saying that if someone is run over by a car or falls from a roof top then it is his own fault but can we blame a poor boy for running after the kites which we so lavishly shower just because he too wants to have his share of fun; or can we blame a child for falling off his roof because his father didn’t have enough money to build proper railing around the roof. Our politicians, so eager to climb up on their roofs might not be so hungry for such an amusement if God forbid it was one of their own who had lost his life to this blood thirsty event.
We would view this entertainment very differently and the ban would not look silly anymore if our own child had to run on the roads to grab a kite!
Coming to the ingenious solutions provided by the advocates of Basant. Yes, you may ban motorbikes and bicycles for two days but have we ever thought that for some people that is the only way of transportation and in case an emergency arises it is their only way out. Secondly you may also ban the deadly string but is it administratively possible to keep a check on such a large scale?
With all due respect to everyone’s viewpoint, I am of the opinion that even if one life is lost due to Basant, it is certainly not worth it.
Ban the bikes for a couple days? What if a guy in the street has this as the only mean of transportation and has an medical emergency and is taking his son/ cousin to the medical store and suddenly he or his son./ cousin find gushing blood and they fall down and the people around find out “oh he has a cut throat” isn’t this scene all too familiar when basant was on? Have we become totally immune to others pain and suffering? Is this the way healthy communities move forward? What to talk of caring for each other (we tend to think giving away charity during Ramadan is enough) we want to ignore the brutally cut throats of children and adults alike for the sake of few hours of our ‘fun’. Which direction are we taking?
I second the author. If one life is lost due to basant, it should be banned right away.
This is a typical Pakistani dilemma stemming from lack of leadership, cohesion and last but not least common sense.
Around the world festival’s are events to wait for, to indulge in and to put your culture on the show. It makes me wonder how can you ban Basant? It’s the arrival of spring, it’s the blooming of the yellow’s and it will happen regardless.
The issue is not Basant but Kite flying. If we as a nation cannot figure out how to safely fly a kite then we deserve the state we are in today.
Dear Kaami, Agreed its blooming and heralding of Spring but the nation was supposed to realize that the use of metallic string is not legal and has taken lives. They have not been able to digest the idea of the fatality of just one instrument of the entire festival and has marred and destroyed its fun part. Why they can’t abstain? Answer is the “mafia group mentality” in which they can’t see anyone taking over them. They are so self possessed and oblivious to others lives and property. The state they are in did not happen in just one day. Its the culmination of decades of autocratic rule which bred lawlessness and the entire society has now reached at a point where rule of law means nothing to those in power and with wealth. Civility is gone, barbaric traits have flourished.
I completely agree. right now this nation must focus a lot of other issues than a so called cultural event. first of all we need a NATION…
Thanks Afaq,
So, I will wait and take this as a test case. “The day this nation amicably resolves how to celebrate basant, that would be the day we could claim a acceptable level of civility”.
As for the rule of law …hah (sigh). Where is Aitzaz Ahsan and his un-ruly crowd? They must be the subject matter specialist in this area.
tell me something , I think its very easy to control, but the security teams fail everytime,
Do not ban the bikes for two days – but make it neccessary for everybody to put an antenna on their bike, it was sold for Rupees 20 in 2009, its best not to use a bike, but if that antenna is on – there is no way the string can touch you…….. why cant we do this ? why ?????
and the times have changed now , people dont fall of the roofs they mostly die because of cut throat on bike. infact 99 % ever died on basant has been because of the same reason .
Can anybody answer me ? you guys have been saying that if bikes are banned , what is there is an emergency and he has to go , then my friend please buy a 20 rupees rupees antenna and put on your bike.
Thank you for your comments.
@ Raheel, I don’t think it is that easy to control. Like I said it would be an administrative nightmare to search each and every household. If the government can ensure a foolproof plan (like they usually do!), of course nobody has a problem then. Secondly people might not fall off the roofs in DHA or Gulberg but yes they do in other parts of the city.
My problem remains the same that even if there is one death, how on earth we are going to justify holding such an event? Entertainment for even thousands on the expense of a single life doesn’t balance out the equation for me.
sir plzz try to understand basant is our culture.this the the only event fr which pak.. is famous other than sucide bombing. govt is here to help out the majority of the ppl.n city 42 told that 75% ppl of lhr say that basant shuld b celebrated.so the govt. shud find a way other than banning it?or cmpletly finishing it.i can gurantiee mr. shahabaz shrif that he would lose in the elections if he wont let us celebrate basant?
I think the author of this article has never flown a kite and he has no idea how one feels in the competition when one cuts other person’s kite. Deprived of the feelings of flying kites, the people have no right to comment as they are already biased. Such a people pray, may God there is a rain on Basant, not due to save the innocent people lives but they cannot see the people enjoy.
Safety is the main factor in every action. For example, how can a person enjoys sex if he always thinks, he might be getting AIDS after sex. So, because of AIDS, he should not do any sex. You will think, he should be doing safe sex, then he can prevent AIDS. Same is the problem with Basant. You enjoy flying kites safely, its worth enjoying. Please don’t make the statements like if etc. Don’t say that there is no Rakshaw available in lahore central city and you have to travel necessarily in motorbike in Basant two days. Please be reasonable. Basant is no Basant without flying kites.
Seat belts are necessary while driving a car. people don’t obey the rule. A lot of chance of getting injured. Ban cars …. lolx ! what a joke.
There was complete year to plan and implement that how to make make basant safe..but no one from govert. did any thing..
basant should only be celeberated with proper safety measures.
Thats all !
Agree with the writer here. I do not criticize the peaceful celebration of the arrival of spring, but the craziness, the commercialization, the vulgarity, and the chaos associated with this festival are intolerable. The government should completely ban all these activities done on the basant days and the idea of celebrating basant in this manner should never be brought up by anyone in this country after the ban is imposed.
Thank you for your comments.
@ F.Arooj I am not trying to play grinch over here and let it be assured that Basant is more than welcome if it can be conducted safely. The author has flown kites and until last year had been celebrating basant. Where I am aware of the pleasure derived when one cuts other person’s kite; I am not unaware of the fact that it could easily be other person’s throat. In an emergency you don’t go out looking for rickshaws on a Sunday when you have a bike parked at home. As far as your safe sex example is concerned, I am sorry but I find it very hard to compare it with this topic.
@Zohaib Not thats all, thats it! Like you said if proper safety measures can be taken then so be it.
“People die of electricity too, why not live with lanterns and good old oil lamps”…this line of argument is absurd. People have seen the “safe” basant days when the threat of metallic string wasn’t there to cut throats but the reality remains that kids (mostly) still lost their lives in traffic accidents and from falls. Why do we have to have this “jashan” at the cost of lives? Are we culturally so poor that if we don’t fly kites we’ll loose our identity? What about the religion? It says loss of one life is like whole mankind has been killed. Are we above the law always? In fact this is the mirror in which we must see our faces. Pretty ugly?
Before voicing the opinion against Basant, whether in relation to “innocent lives” or “illegal strings” or just plain vandalism, one must do some research and see that Lahore is not the only city in the world which celebrates Kite festivals. Neither is Pakistan a so-called “unique” case when it comes to Basant festival. I have to make two points:
First, beside India and Pakistan where the “hallagulla” is more important, other countries like China, Japan, Malaysia, etc are extremely skilled in both production and flying, and needless to say, more ethical about Kite flying as well. Pity is that neither we are good in regulating the festival, kites, production, ethics, behavior nor we are able to advance the technique of kite production or flying methods. All we know is that there is this damn kite and we must fly it on basant. Have no one ever thought of going beyond “just play”, perhaps not.
Second, Culture is not a self-sustaining idea, it need to be nourished and nurtured with time. You don’t have to go too far, take NWFP for example, you think there are/were no festivals there? Just few years ago, there were, and now, where did they go? Basant too will become part of history text books if “we” don’t act now. Keep basant clean. Take out the social (copper string, chemicals, etc) and religious (labeling it unislamic) vandalism out of Basant.
PLease send me funny sms at 03238870367
@insaan – You have my vote, how aptly you have put things into context.
So, its not a question of banning basant or banning kite flying or enjoying sex or killing insaaniat.
Its our failure as a people to agree on how to safely celebrate.
This would not be an issue if we had effective community level leadership which ensured that the event is safely organized.
Again secondoning @insaan – I will also advocate not giving up any more grounds to Mullah’s or judges for that matter. The fundamentalists have been clever, unable to get their way by convincing people, or direct action. They will try to get their way through the courts.
Trust me with that 20 rupees antenna string cannot touch you , as it only takes few seconds to cut the throat, the string passes by you only for few seconds not more, yes I agree with Sheheryar the strings have become very strong, that is why we have to use antenna.
And somebody dying by falling of the roof is a total accident – you cannot say that people will fall off the roof every time, accidents happen every time, we people going home and may die because of an accident – it doesn’t mean that we will stop coming to office, riding the bike is as dangerous.
But however, when you are on a bike and string passes by you , it automatically adjusts on your throat because that part of the body is inclined in. So every time on a bike when string passes you, there is a chance that it will cut the throat. So, that antenna has to be made necessary on basant days.
This thing should be made necessary by the government that nobody rides a bike without antenna , and Sheharyar please note that — there has not been any incident where the antenna was cut by the string.
And for god sake please don’t raise an issue about wapda loss – please don’t say that ……….. we all know what the F they are capable of and what they are upto.
I don’t exactly remember the year – but when last time shahbaz sharif was CM in Punjab , probably 10 years ago , he made a very good plan to stop firings and he was successful, so they can also do that.
I personally think that by proper arrangements Firing, and Bike killing can be minimized , I am pretty certain that bike killing come down to zero.
I am pleased to see that author appeared to give a response. Please accept my apologies, it seems that at least you agree with the term, ” Basant is no Basant without flying kites”. It also seems that author enjoyed the basant last year and might be the cause of cutting any throat, if he used a heavy string. Because light string cannot cut the throat. If you don’t agree, I am willing to give the demonstration on my neck. The light string doesn’t have the tensile strength to withstand an impact, and it breaks.
If you don’t like the example of sex. O.K. Lets talk about women giving births. Many women in the world die of giving birth to their child every year. The women should stop giving birth as it may cost their lives. But see the positive aspect, after the child birth, a new guest appears in this world and the world goes on. Please understand that similarly, with Basant on every year, people reacts much better after social interaction, where they have a chance to express their passion. Without Basant, think about the frustrated young generation with not enough play grounds and living in a social prison, how they utilize their energy and zeal. Do you want them to apply their energy very negatively? Or do you just want them to study, study and only study , play video games and at the end, becomes like nuts? Please be reasonable.
O.K, in an emergency they could use a motor bike during Basant days to find a rikshaw nearby to travel. Antenna is another good option. Why you insist, that safety measures cannot be adopted. Its just the matter of enforcement.
[…] Hamza Ahmad Qureshi and Momekh at Lahore Metblogs writes on the 2005 kite-flying ban in Pakistan and discusses the silly reasons cited to justify the ban. In many parts of Pakistan, especially in Lahore, traditionally people used to celebrate the Basant (spring) festival by flying kites. Cancel this reply […]
Thank you for your comments
@Raheel Regulations are there to deal with accidents. Even if for the sake of argument I presume that our government is efficient enough to make sure that every bike has an antenna; is the government also ready check houses for their fitness and whether proper safety measures have been taken?
@F. Arooj I don’t feel inclined to reply to your false assumptions regarding my using the heavy string :) but as far as motherhood is concerned, it is a personal choice and one is not putting the life of a random stranger on the road in danger by giving birth.
We can go on like this forever and I don’t want this discussion to end up like a run-of-the-mill political talk show. Let us come up with solutions. Here is what I propose:
1. A complete crack down on the heavy string and development of new and better techniques like insaan mentioned. Establishment of an authorization body and let every string roll be approved by it.
2. Would it be acceptable to you people if the whole event could be taken outside the city? It could be made into a carnival. It would also solve the problem of unfortunate accidents on roads and roofs.
Although being a big big fan of shahbaaz sharif, i must say , the govnt people are so dumb that they can’t come up with nay idea or they don’t want to…
A lot of time has been wasted…whenever the january comes, every time we have this issue. This is the festival and it should be celebrated. We should work on this theme now :
” I will not fly kites on basant unless it is made totally safe and
i will work on it to make it safe ”
If all of us follow this , then i think the problem can be solved in 10 days or may be less.
ok Good, Lets do it……..
I wish it can happen , trust me Basant is the day that is more enjoyed than Eid in Lahore.
I hope basant is onnnnnnn and ON with the full bang – means enough time for people to buy stuff and its safe
@Hamza , just read your comment after posting mine. Well bro , before giving the solution , i think we should concentrate on what our problem is :)
– > we don’t wana fly kites bcoz it damages WAPDA equipment.
– > we don’t wana fly kites bcoz our country is suffering from worst
crises and we have no peace here.
– > we don’t wana fly kites bcoz of the politics invloved.
– > we don’t wana fly kites bcoz it cuts the throats of people on bike.
i apologize if i have missed any reason. I really don’t wana put any reason other than the 1st one i mentioned. We only don’t fly kites but it cuts the throat of people on bike. Every one knows that every other reason is just rubbish !!!
So , we have only 1 problem and that should be solved by you people(and many of you have proposed the solution i:e making antenna must).
I have intentionally not included the firing case on basant bcoz if shahbaaz sharif can control fire works on weddings , it is very easy to control it on basant …
I think the author of this post has missed out the point that I was trying to make in my post. Hamza, this is what I am trying to say:
Banning basant because it causes loss of life is not a good enough reason. I know that sounds terrible, but just hold your horses and think about it for a minute. You drive, you are in an airplane, you are crossing the street, you can die because of someone else’s mistake. Of course, that doesn’t mean we ban driving. We ‘regulate’ it. We try to control it, put up a license requirement, have stricter rules, educate people on safe driving to ‘curb’ the deaths that are a result of driving etc. We know FOR A FACT that IF WE WERE to ban driving, we would save a lot of lives!! We know that! But we don’t ban driving. Some people may, in an attempt to win an argument, may cite that driving is a necessity whereas kiteflying is a leisure activity. We should not take up arguments to win them, but to understand and then reach a solution, firstly, and secondly, kiteflying maybe a leisure activity for me but not for the person who makes kites for a living. It may come as surprise to some, but most Pakistanis DO NOT have a car and will not be affected by a ban on driving. In fact, they’d find the roads much cleaner and a whole lot safer. What does this mean? It means we look at the context and try to come up with a ‘reasonable’ solution. Banning something is not only easy, but also not the right way of handling most situations.I think the right stance to take on this issue is that “banning basant is not necessary, regulating basant is a must”.
I agree as I have always agreed, that banning basant ‘temporarily’ to let the authorities get to the culprits is a workable solution. But banning it outright with no plan of bringing the festival back is downright draconian.
I hope and pray that I have made my point clear-er! :)
Good luck and God bless us all.
@ Momekh Thank you for your comment. If you had the chance to read my last comment, I think I have myself come to somewhat similar conclusion as you have mentioned here in the comment. Good luck and God bless you too :)
Let’s make it a national level controversy or a danger to democracy, like all other festive occasions ;-)
Sir only the thing iz that the basant i our ancient festival . . . . .. its been celebrated from a couple ov years …….first there was no deaths . … u should ban the thing which are harmfull …… but plz dont remove tihis fistival
Historical background:
Basant was celebrated on the anniversary of Haqiqat Rai son of BhagMal Khatri whose mother was a Sikh. He was a resident of Sialkot,who died in 1734 AD. He insulted the Prophet (SAW) and Hazrat Fatima (PBUH) and his case was sent to Amir Beg of Sialkot who in turn, thinking that its a matter of serious concern and of religious nature referred the case to then governor Punjab, Zakariya Khan. After the decision Haqiqat Rai was sentenced to death. This happened on the 5th of the month, Magh of Hindu calendar, the reason Basant is originally called as “vasant panchimi”.The Rai guy was an expert kite flyer also. In Haryana and Eastern Punjab where Basant was originally celebrated, its a predominantly Sikh region. Sikhs flew kites and wore yellow clothes on the anniversary of Haqiqat Rai and chanted ashlokas and ragas in praying for the salvation of his soul. And a festival was born out of that tradition. Along with Sikhs, Hindus of these regions started to worship the day as a tribute to their goddess of music and dance, Sarswati. They started to wear yellow because it was the color of Sarson (Mustard) which was incidentally harvested during those days. How valid is the claim of Muslims who ‘believe’ it is ‘their’ festival remains questionable. They say nations are proud of their cultural heritage but at the same time they are knowledgeable enough to know about the historical backgrounds and folklore of their festivals.
I MUST SAY Dr. Afaq , that is very very impressive
and if we have more doctors like you , our country will never be able to move forward or do any any good in future.
However, the fact remains , that is this is the correct history ? or this basant festival has anything to do with our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and kite flying is done to give piece to the soul of the person who insulted Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) ohhh come onnnnnnnnnn…..
prove it … give reference….
I give you reference , open the link and see
http://www.chapatimystery.com/archives/holydays/basant_i.html
times are changing uncle , please grow up
we are discussing some other issues here of controlling the deaths and bike antenna or banning , and you have come up with this master piece.
Allah aapke patients per rehem kare.
@ Dr Afaq
Finally it came out, you were not defending basant ban, based on the concerns regarding public safety due to fatalities caused by using the wrong kind of string
It was all about religion and your perceptions of the so called Muslim culture. However, the fact remains that majority of festivals rise from the soil and are celebrated by ordinary people. Even the most celebrated X-MAS has its origins in the Pagan beliefs, pre-dating Christianity. ( Nobody knows the date when Jesus was born, i.e. if he really was.)
Also, if whatever you say is true i.e basant comes from the sikh or hindu traditions. Howcome that is not part of our heritage? The heritage of this land, which is by the way more than 5000 years old. Aren’t, we all not descendents of Hindus or Dravids or Buddhists? Does being Muslim makes us Arabs? Shall we start celebrating harvesting of date crops instead of blooming of Sarsoon?
Once there was a very progressive Moulana named “Hasrat Mohani” who defied the British order to ban Kite flying on the grounds that it was the “people’s festival” and state (Gora sahib) had no business to meddle with it. This also reminds me that basant in one form or the other is celebrated throughout Indo-Pak, not only by the people but by Nature itself.
It has nothing to do with celebrating basant. Matter of opinion only.
1. “The Sikh Tradition and festivals”. Tarlochan Singh, Sant Goorbachan Singh. Pp 134-137. Noulkishore Press. India. 1931.
2.http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/feb2010-daily/15-02-2010/index.html
3.http://www.pkurducols.com/search/label/Mushtaq%20Ahmed%20Qureshi
lol. Didn’t know it will take the form of Nature Vs. Pakistan and as if all our ‘progress’ is halted because we have been denied the ‘vital’ basant. The reference for kite flying was for that Sikh guy and the yellow color was due to the goddess Sarswati. Don’t mix the two in hurry. I’m sure our research index will reach peak high once we are allowed the festival and we’ll start to progress in science and technology leaving behind poor West and rediscover our lost glory.
[…] Ahmed Qureshi at Lahore Metblogs thinks otherwise: “The hue and cry raised by a certain section of the society on the recent banning of Basant by […]
[…] Ahmed Qureshi at Lahore Metblogs thinks otherwise: “The hue and cry raised by a certain section of the society on the recent banning of Basant by […]
I’ll be honest. I totally like the festival. But no merry-making is above human life.
The government in the past has tried to curtail loss of lives by banning twine and chemical dor and the aerial gun shots but unfortunately all these efforts were proved futile.
There is therefore no choice but to ban the festival in perseverance of the greater good.
[…] Ahmed Qureshi at Lahore Metblogs thinks otherwise: “The hue and cry raised by a certain section of the society on the recent banning of Basant by […]
common dr afaq ahmed wake up u r in the 21st centure. n ppl here have a little commonsence unlike u.every one knows we dnt care if it was a religeous festival earlier.we just know that we want to n will celebrate basant.tum loog aaj bi 10th century main rehatay hoo.tum loog zaida musalman hoo kia.ya phir jannat ki degree upr se lee kar aaye hoo. tum jaisa loogon ko dekh k pta chalta hia k hamare mulk ka ye haal kyun hia.i asure u all that mr afaq is a maulvi aur in loogon ki halat ye hai k agr koi patient mar b rha hoo tou ye kaheya gay sir pahela namaz ?shame on ppl like u.
i just hate ppl who say no basant?according t me this is just coz of lack of education.ya phir parhe likhe jahil.thats wat we say in urdu?
this has failed for everything …they cannot control anything nt inflation not sucide atacks they can only ban basant ….this is non sence ….bikes should be banned for 24hrs n basant must must must be celebrated this govt is hope less n use less they cannot even organise a fastivel wht kinda govt is this they can just sit n pass orders on the people nufing else there are a lot ov ways to do basant we can give them suggestions abt it i want help from media so we can celebrate basant this year like last year we did it coz of govt changings …(long march) i request u all it the best culture of lahore n lahories we shopuld promote it nt stop it …i have il get a feed back on this from city42 …i watch city 42 just 2 know abt basant plzz help in basant for 24 hrs thanx
ita sal sa yeh fastivel ho raha hai …ager log bomb blast ma marta hain tb to koi nahi bolta festival amnata hua mar jaye apni galti sa to sara kasoor festivel pa ajata hai ya govt ker kia rahe hai kuch b nai ker rahe ek festivel nai organise kerwa sakti
jo teams banai hain patang bazi kerna walo ko pakrna k lia wo firing kerna walo ko pakrna k lia bana dain n 24 hrz k lia bike pa ban laga dain jb patang bazi pa pura sal ban lag sakta hai to bike pa kia ek din k lia ban nahi lagaya ja sakta aga pecha b to itni hartalian or bht kuch hota hai yaha pa koi govt official ajye to sarko pa 30min 30 min trafic bikes even k paidal chlna walo ko roka hota hai jaise pata nhai kon arha hai to ek festivel k lia ya govt. kuch ne ker pa rahe to shame shmae on this govt just shame ….
ali ur rite im a big fan of pml (n) bt ill nt gve any vote to them next time nor me nor anyt single member ov my family …….
n 1 more thing i can give 100 reasons against this act ov govt supreme court is saying sale petrol 0rs liter n no on is taking action on it high court just said basnt is ban n every 1 is against it in govt. wht is this ……wht this govt doing 4r the ppl.faisalabad gujrawala n sheikhupura celebrated basant this year then y nt lahories y not i urge city42 to promote it y not lahore it is a matter of lahore n city 42 should help on it ….. so plzz help lahories to enjoy this event thnaxx
[…] Ahmed Qureshi su Lahore Metblogs la pensa diversamente [in]: “Il clamore sollevato da un certo settore della società riguardo il recente divieto del […]
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[…] Ahmed Qureshi su Lahore Metblogs la pensa diversamente [in]: “Il clamore sollevato da un certo settore della società riguardo il recente divieto del […]