Basant is banned for the right reasons

[pak-marine]

Basant is banned for the right reasons



I have vivid memories of Basant. Everyone would be caught up in the spirit and festivities of the season. Maybe it’s because all one really needed to celebrate was a long string and a kite. And if you still couldn’t afford that, you could snatch one that’s drifting awayin the sky.

But alas, the festival which once attracted tourists from far and wide to Lahore is now a thing of the past.

Anger at the government’s ban

The Punjab government’s decision to ban Basant sparked a hot debate on Twitter. Pro-Basant activists believe the onus is on the government to provide security for citizens and that the ban deprives citizens of cultural recreation. One tweet blamed the ghost of the Zia regime that for the death of the only true festival of the soil.

I wish some of these people had witnessed the scenes in the emergency room of a government hospital in Lahore on the last Basant day to understand the real reasons for this festival’s demise. I cannot advocate the continuation of this festival.

Here’s why:

1. Deadly wires

There is a cry for banning string that has been coated with glass or is made of wire as this results in hundreds of deaths each season, but this has failed.

In Lahore, where the crime rate is on the rise, it’s unreasonable to pin our hopes on the incompetent police. It is unlikely that they will put in the effort required to stop the illegal manufacturing and sales of metal string.

2. Falling to their death

The fishnets and metallic wires are not the only problem. During the festival, people are up on their rooftops flying kites but there are thousands of houses in Lahore that do not have guard railings to prevent people from falling. I can sympathise with a child who sees the sky littered with kites, and wants to fly his with all the obstacles in the way; maneuvering it to avoid electricity wires and trees, taping and re-taping the kite constantly as it rips after every failed attempt. The temptation to secretly climb the roof is far too great. That is why hundreds of children and adults fall off rooftops every Basant. Many die, many break limbs while others are left paralysed. What can the government do to fix this problem?

3. Basant is fun for the rich

People riding bicycles and motorcycles are inconvenienced on Basant, as they are not allowed to drive their vehicles. It’s an unfair law that applies only to people belonging to a low socio-economic class. It’s like saying,

“If you don’t own a car, too bad – you can’t go out.”

4. Aerial firing

Another problem is of people accidentally getting shot. I can recall stories of people firing into the sky and the bullets eventually piercing right through an innocent bystander’s skull.

We really have no one to blame except for ourselves for this ban. It is the collective failure of the entire city to crack down on the Basant grinches and force authorities to take action against them. Perhaps it’s a fitting punishment for losing the real essence of a festival that once used to bring people together in celebration.

 

[pak-marine]

i disagree with writer Basant is a colorful festival and in my personal opinion its the only non religious event which is celebrated by all. There are ways to conduct it and govt's rather than banning the entire event can come up with safety methods .... what is it just because these fat f**ks in bureaucracy cant do their job a lot of youth cant enjoy this great event .. !!? what do you think guys ??

 

[pak-marine]

The truth behind the Basant ruling
February 21, 2011

Why should Hindus' behaviour bar us from our joys?
The Basant prohibition has been explained officially in terms of foul play by kite flyers who use metallic wire or coat their twine with such preparations that it becomes fatal for the people in the streets who happen to get it on their throats.

But the real reason is the clerics’ hatred of the festivity. They campaigned against it calling it a Hindu festival and a pagan ritual. The Muslims, they insisted, must be barred from it. It was on account of this campaign that the prohibition was proclaimed.

Hindus revere and worship everything in nature. To them, the stars, the planets, the rivers, the mountains, the trees, the birds all reveal some aspect or attribute of some god or goddess. But should this give them a monopoly on nature’s bounties? Don’t we benefit from the natural phenomena? Why should their behaviour bar us from our joys?

The Hindu Basant Panchumi involves certain acts of worship. For the Muslims the Basant festival was started by Nizamuddin Aulia. Amir Khusrau, the story goes, was on his way to visit his spiritual mentor when he noticed mustard fields in full blossom. He also saw a lot of people wearing the colour: women in yellow saris, men in yellow turbans.

The scene inspired the poet in him. He plucked a branch carrying several mustard flowers and placed it in his turban. He also came up with a verse invoking the spring showers to demand flowers and wine.

Nizamuddin, for his part, had for months looked dejected following the death of his favourite nephew. He had stopped listening to music and had not been seen smiling in a while. The verse brought a smile to his face. Noticing the flowers Khusrau was carrying in his turban, he demanded an explanation. Told that the people were celebrating the advent of spring, he instructed his followers to do likewise. The little hint from Sultan Ji opened the doors for Delhi’s Muslims.

The festival became so popular with Delhi’s Muslim population that it came to be regarded as their representative celebration. It was particularly associated with the city’s sufi shrines. And it was no longer a one-day affair; it went on for weeks.

Flowers were offered at the Qadam Sharif on the first day of the month and perfumed water sprinkled. Sweets were distributed and samaa sessions held. The next morning, people wearing the mustard yellow would visit the shrine of Bakhtiar Kaki. In the evening lamps were lighted at the tomb of Chiragh Delhi. On the third day the festival would arrive at the shrine of Nizamuddin where a samaa session was also held.

The forth evening was dedicated to Shah Hassan Rasoolnuma. The fifth day everybody visited the shrine of Shah Turkmen. The sixth day ministers, courtiers and dignitaries visited the High Fort to greet the king. Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last king, a poet himself, came up with the verse that is still raga singers’ favourite for Basant recitals.

Eventually the festival grew into a month-long celebration. Separate days were now reserved for Basant offerings and celebrations at still more sufi shrines including the Haray Bharay Shah’s, the Sarwar Shaheed’s and the Bholu Shah’s.

By the year 1857, according to a researcher, Muslims in northern India in general and those in Delhi and Agra in particular, celebrated Basant with great fervour. Kite flying was a popular Basant activity in the Punjab. Kite flying at Basant in Lahore is thus nothing new or very recent. It has long been associated with the festival.

So, the authorities’ view of the festival is at a variance with our cultural history. Our sufi saints considered Basant permissible fun but our clerics and officials today see it as un-Islamic. How callous do they have to be to refuse to tolerate people enjoying themselves; to try and douse all occasions of joy?

 

[Spring Onion]

too many deaths have occurred due to the stupid game using deadly material. those complaining against the ban should learn to be civilized first and follow the rules if they want to have it.

but since its been proven these freaks wont care for human life so better keep the BAN.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Just to add to the information and especially the connection to Amir Khusro:
Check out this short film by Yousuf Saeed and it can be viewed on GOOGLE VIDEOS. Basant is symbolic of the plurality of the Sufi movement.

Basant
A short film about the celebration of Sufi festival of Spring in India. An annual festival held at the shrine of the 12th century sufi saint Nizamuddin Aulia and Amir Khusrau. Film directed by Yousuf Saeed, New Delhi, India

 

[Imran Khan]

LOLLLLLLLLLL before open thread i was thinking BASAND name ka to koi user hai hi nhi shayed .ye kesy ban ho gya heheheheheheh

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

Even I death is too many. It is a hazard and would not be allowed form homes even here in the US.

 

[ankur]

but why ban celebrating the festival, they should have banned those glass manza.

 

[Capt.Popeye]

i disagree with writer Basant is a colorful festival and in my personal opinion its the only non religious event which is celebrated by all. There are ways to conduct it and govt's rather than banning the entire event can come up with safety methods .... what is it just because these fat f**ks in bureaucracy cant do their job a lot of youth cant enjoy this great event .. !!? what do you think guys ??

Personally i think that kite-flying and stuff like that had nothing to do with Basant. Nor was it really a truly Hindu festival, in the sense it has no connection with any particular God or line of belief.

Basant only celebrated a season. A season that saw the flowering and blooming in Nature. This symbolised growth and regeneration. Which was a thing of joy to anyone who beheld it. So they celebrated it with singing and dancing. i've seen people in my Grand-Parents' generation celebrating Basant and there was not a single religious ritual, so much so that that the celebration took place in the courtyard or better still in a garden or field. Nobody went to a place of worship. People wore bright and colorful clothes (not always new), but the dominant color was yellow (sarson color), and there were flowers, lots of them. After all it was about flowers. That is how Basant was.
We made and flew our kites including the 'Killer' Dor or Manjha. But there was no kite flying among us on Basant. We flew them at other times of the year, cutting kites and some times cutting ourselves in the bargain.

 

[Hyde]

too many deaths have occurred due to the stupid game using deadly material. those complaining against the ban should learn to be civilized first and follow the rules if they want to have it.

but since its been proven these freaks wont care for human life so better keep the BAN.

well people die everywhere but that does not mean you cut the root cause of problems. You have to improve it day by day...

Peoples also die in industries but that does not mean you shut the industry because of one individuals' death. Kite flying may be killing few peoples but it is the source of feeding 500,000 peoples of Lahore only. We can't afford to take their jobs away just if few peoples were dead due to their own mistakes.

The thread they use is dangerous only when you are running fast or driving a motorbike etc. It doesn't kill you if you walk carefully.... It has always been part of our culture and we must be proud of it instead of depriving our peoples from this cultural event.

And yes always find better ways to protect peoples and minimize incidents

 

[Hyde]

There was a good discussion going on Kite flying last week. Watch this video and I am sure you will like it

 

[Awesome]

Basant is life! It is a part of core Lahori culture. It can never be banned. There are safety guidelines that you must follow, and if you do that there is next to no danger. People die while not following common sense.

Duniya idhar se udhar hojaye, Basant will live on!

 

[rohailmalhi]

The thing is we are not use to having this kind of freedom and when GOV put restriction over us we start crying over it .
Basnat no doubt a good , colorful event which could bring tourists to Pakistan but our people have crossed the limits and we instead of having fun strted to kill our own people .

Suggestion is if we want to have this event back .Kite flying should be allowed only and only on 1 day that is sunday and all of the motorcyclist are offered free protection gadget from the government .May we have this event back coz it can do alot good image building for Pakistan.

 

[pak-marine]

too many deaths have occurred due to the stupid game using deadly material. those complaining against the ban should learn to be civilized first and follow the rules if they want to have it.

but since its been proven these freaks wont care for human life so better keep the BAN.

offcourse things like aerial shooting should be stopped , i have seen people shooting mag upon mag of ak's . also some people use metal wires but production these things can be restricted by govt offcourse they have to move their ar$e to do that though.. , bansant is colorful and lively and can be preserved as long traditional most celebrated non- religious event in pakistan

 

[Frankenstein]

there should be a law, that kite flying can be done in open areas, and perpetrators will have to pay heavy charges