3-day kite festival begins in Gujarat

Christened as the 'Vibrant Gujarat' phase two, this is the second traditional festival being used by the Gujarat govt to lure non-resident Gujaratis to invest in their homeland.

A three-day international kite festival started here on Monday morning with a touch of Hindutva.

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Schoolchildren performed a 'Surya Namashkar' dance number even as nearly 70 enthusiasts from 18 countries displayed their kites.

Christened as the 'Vibrant Gujarat' phase two, this is the second traditional festival being used by the Gujarat government to lure non-resident Gujaratis (NRGs) to invest in their homeland.

In September last year, the nine-night ‘Navratri’ was projected as the ‘world's longest dance festival’ to host a global investors' meet that resulted in signing of MoUs worth Rs 66,000 cr.

The kite festival coincides with Gujarat's traditional festival of Uttarayan, known as Makar Sankranti elsewhere.

During the three-day festival, a "Vishwa Gujarati Parivar Mahotsav" would also be inaugurated by Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee here on Tuesday.