Kites: Oh, what an inspiration!

Thousands of colourful hues dotted the blue sky, dancing in the wind and soaring high. With Makar Sankranti just around the corner, people of all ages in Mumbai had taken to reaching for the highest points of access to them to enjoy the act of kite flying. I for myself had headed to our building terrace to enjoy the view. As I watched the kites waltzing rhythmically against the blue backdrop of the tranquil sky, soaring higher and higher, reaching for the clouds above, I stood enthralled by the vibrant and blithesome sight. Although flying against the wind, restrained by the cords that controlled them and despite the fear of being cut off by other kites’ strings always lingering; they flew gleefully, unruffled and free. I got to wondering, “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could take inspiration from the flying kites and conduct ourselves in our day to day lives aiming high yet staying grounded while being joyful?”

In our daily conquests to achieve more and reach higher, often times we forget to enjoy the journey. We slog and suffer thinking that’s the only way we can prevail and the only way we can succeed. While hard work definitely is a must, why not do it with a gay demeanour? Why not dance our way gleefully to our goals just like the joyful kites stretching out for the clouds? And why not be free of the fear of falling despite it’s existence?

 

Why not go against the flow? Flying against the wind, the greater its resistance, the higher the kites soared. There will always be times when circumstances are against us. Instead of succumbing to them and giving up, why not live up to those challenges and strengthen our successes further?

Staying connected to the ground, yet soaring high is something so beautifully demonstrated by the kites. Likewise, why not stay connected to the people, to the values and the discipline that we have picked up in our journey through life, choosing wisely amongst them to carry with us the ones that bolster and encourage us to rise higher while keeping us strongly rooted too?  

Lastly and most importantly, as I watched a kite string being cut by another and the kite falling to the ground, slowly and nimbly swaying side to side while children below clamoured to reach for it, it reminded me that life poses such situations at us many times. There are times when we have to face defeat or take a back step, times when we have to fall back to our base. In such situations, the lesser the resistance we show and the more willingly we accept, the less unharmed and more gracefully we reach our ground. Besides, like the children reaching for the falling kite, the more graciously we conduct ourselves, especially during adverse situations, the more there are people to catch us and hold us when we fall!

Here wishing everyone a happy and inspired Bihu/Lohri/Makar Sankranti/ Pongal!