The varied shapes and colours of enamoured the kite-flyers and others, who had climbed on to the roofs to watch the spectacle.

The city markets are flooded with kites and strings. From the ‘chhajja’ kites of Amritsar to the muslin kites from China, the residents had them all by the dozens, to indulge in one of their favourite sports. There was good variety in the kite strings too. While a number of residents had bought strings made in Rampur and Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, the nylobe string from China were also great in demand.

Said Ratan Singh, a kite seller in Jawahar Nagar Camp, “Thankfully it’s just the right weather for flying kites. The wind makes the sport even more challenging. I am selling double the number of kites this year, as compared to last year.”

The varied shapes of the kites made for quite a sight today. The Chinese kites were shaped like butterflies, aeroplanes, triangles, pentagons etc. But despite their visual appeal, the traditional ‘chhajja’ from Amritsar remained the favourite for many ardent kite flyers.

Gurmel Singh and Happy, kite lovers at Jeewan Preet Nagar, asserted that kite flying is simple and fun.

Rajiv Dhir, a resident of Urban Estate Dugri Phase II, said that to celebrate Lohri enthusiastically, he and his friends collected Rs 3,000. “We have a large number of kites, a good supply of strings and also arranged for music system to add colour to the celebrations.”