Hyderabad: Have you got a sweet tooth, and a penchant to fly kites with hundreds of like-minded city residents? This is the occasion for you.
The Telangana tourism department will be organising the annual International Kite and Sweet Festival between January 13 and 15 at Parade Ground, Secunderabad. The event will feature regional arts and crafts and food items, both from Telangana and other states and by foreign families, alongside events by national and international kite-flyers.
Entry is free for all.
More than 47 international kite flyers from 19 countries and 50 national kite flyers from 14 states will display a variety of kites.
While launching the poster for the event on Saturday, tourism minister Jupally Krishna Rao said, “On the eve of the Makar Sankranti, we are hosting the International Kite and Sweet Festival, where lakhs of visitors who will enjoy colourful kites and delicious sweets.
Interacting with the women sweet-makers, told them that the festival was a great opportunity to attract 50 per cent of the city’s population, which could boost businesses.
Krishna Rao added that visitors would also enjoy cultural programmes showcasing the traditions of different states. The minister, along with tourism officials, visited stalls where women from different states displayed sweetmeats and foodstuffs, which would be on offer at the three-day festival.
Komal Mehta, representing Gujarat, presented dishes like khandvi, fafda, jalebi and pathra. She said, “The event is a great platform for homemakers to showcase their skills and earn.” Ridhi Khayal from Maharashtra said, “I am excited and also nervous because of the huge crowd. We are thankful to the tourism department for their support. It’s a good time for us, homemakers, to get exposure”.
Tourism secretary Smita Sabharwal said, “This is a kickstart of the kite and sweet festival, which will have all the sweet varieties from Uttarakhand to Kerala in one place.”
The festival will showcase over dozens of varieties of sweets prepared by Hyderabadis representing different states and countries. Food courts featuring Telangana cuisine, along with handicraft and handloom stalls, will also be part of the event.
