Amritsar's famous kite maker ready with his I-Day collection

A well known kite maker and collector from Amritsar has created special kites with images of freedom fighters to mark the country's 70th Independence Day anniversary.
Jagmohan Kanojia (51), who is known for his vast collection, has designed special kites with images of freedom fighters such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Bhagat Singh, Chandra Sekhar Azad and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The kites will also bear pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, newly elected President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Some kites from his collection will dot the skyline this Independence Day with inspiring messages written on them.
"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 a long struggle," Kanojia told PTI over phone today.

"This time I have made 71 different kinds of kites to celebrate the 71st Independence Day. I have been making kites for about a month for the occasion," he said.

Kanojia said while some of his kites are as small as four inches long and are showpieces, others are as big as six feet wide.
"A kite in my collection carries the message--'Maa Tujhe Salaam' and has pictures of freedom fighters including Bhagat Singh," he said.
Some of his kites for I-Day also resemble the Tricolour.
Kanojia said 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.

For Kanojia, it all began as a hobby in the early 1990s after watching a kite-flying competition on TV.
He claims that he has already entered record books in the country, as having made 10,000 kites of different designs.