Amritsar kite maker's I-Day collection includes freedom

A 50-year-old kite maker from Amritsar has made special kites with images of freedom fighters and messages to remember their sacrifices to mark the 69th Independence Day.
Jagmohan Kanojia, who is well known for his vast collection, has designed special kites with images of freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Rani Lakshmibai, Subhas Chandra Bose besides all Presidents and Prime Ministers till date.
The kites this year will also bear pictures of President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The kites would dot the skyline this Independence Day with inspiring messages in tow. While some of the kites are as small as four inches and are showpieces, others will be as big as six feet.

"I have also made a special five-corner kite which is six-inch long while another fish-shaped kite is six feet long and carries the picture of Jawaharlal Nehru. Another six feet kite carries the message--'Maa Tujhe Salaam' and has pictures of freedom fighters including Bhagat Singh," Kanojia told PTI today.
Some of his collections for the I-Day will also be soaring through the air in the colours of the Tricolour.

"This time I have made 68 different kinds of kites to celebrate the Independence Day. I have been making kites for about two months for the occasion," he said.
"Most of my kites carry pictures of freedom fighters and national leaders. They also carry small messages that we should always remember the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters and value the freedom we attained after long struggle...Messages like countrymen should remain united to take India forward have also been pasted on the kites," he said.

He said that a few kites in his collection are also dedicated to his late father, who was born on August 15, 1938 in Lahore and passed away in 1989.
"Several of my kites are beautifully decorated with pictures of former Presidents and former Prime Ministers," he said.
For Kanojia, it all began as a hobby in early 1990s after watching a kite-flying competition on TV.
He claims that he has already entered record books in the country, also earning a record of being the only person in India to have made 10,000 different designs of kites.