Union minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel joined the festivities of Uttarayan with their families on Saturday. Taking part in the merry-making, Amit Shah flew kites on a terrace in the Vejalpur area of Ahmedabad while Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel participated in kite-flying celebrations at Dariapur’s Nava Taliya Ni Pol in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Minister of State for Home, Harsh Sanghavi was also seen celebrating the festival by flying kites in his hometown Surat with his family members and friends.
The skies teemed with kites of all colours and shapes while music and delicacies such as fafda-jalebi, undhiyu and chikki added to the fun. It was after a gap of two years that the festival was celebrated without the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shah, CM Patel and Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat greeted people on the occasion.
"Best wishes to all of you. May this festival of kites bring joy, excitement and enthusiasm in our lives, wish all of you stay healthy," Modi said in his message in Gujarati on his Twitter handle.
"Wishing you all a very Happy Makar Sankranti. A prayer that Lord Suryanarayan's journey to the north may bring growth in the lives of all and strengthen the sense of well-being and brotherhood in the society," tweeted Patel.
However, the festivities were marred by several incidents of people getting injured due to sharp kite strings or falling from heights while flying kites. The 108 Emergency Management Service reported 29 such cases. There were also 73 cases of people falling down from heights including 16 in Ahmedabad and 11 in Surat.
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