Leijat Pakistanin yllä

Joulukuu 13, 2005 by Teppo | 1 comment

Olen kirjoitellut tänne lähinnä Pakistanin ihmisoikeusrikkomuksista ja maanjäristyksen jälkeisistä kähminnöistä, mutta nyt jotain positiivisempaa: Global Voicesin kautta löysin Shirazin sympaattisen kuvauksen Lahoren Basant Bash -leijafestivaaleista.

From mid-January to mid-February the clear blue skies over Punjab and Lahore in Pakistan, come alive with the gaiety and colour of paper kites – in all hues, shapes and sizes. The yellow of mustard flowers and the Amaltas trees is the first colour to be sighted after the severe winters of the north. Poets have penned romantic verses, and artists, both of the past and contemporary, have painted the Basant skies.

Mutta voi, tässäkin tarinassa on pimeä puolensa, kirjaimellisesti:

But even such a joyous festival has a dark side, as hospitals invariably are packed with kite flyers who fell off roofs and children who were hit by cars as they ran down the streets, their faces turned towards the sky to watch the kites. Quarters of the city are plunged into darkness when razor-sharp kite cords rolled in powdered glass or made of steel cut electricity wires.

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