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The Punjab government on Tuesday announced its decision to lift the 12-year-old ban imposed on celebrating Basant saying the festival — which marks the arrival of Spring season — will be celebrated in the second week of February 2019. «This historical cultural pageant of Lahore may be revived, and InshaAllah we can celebrate Basant inside the second week of February,» The information global quoted Punjab’s Minister for statistics and subculture Fayyazul Hassan Chohan as pronouncing.
Although, it seems like that a mishap preceded the Basant festival in Gujranwala when a three-year-old boy Ibrahim got seriously injured with a string of a kite. The child was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in critical condition as the blood oozed through his neck. The doctors are still struggling to save his life and the child is in a critical condition.
The kite-flying fever has gotten a tight grip on the public of Punjab and majority of the people to fall prey to injuries or deaths due to this festival. The heralding of the spring – termed Basant in Punjabi – is the preferred season for kite-flying and the meta taar (wire) on the kite plays a crucial role on deaths.
The Punjab government needs to understand that due to the Basant fair several people are either injured or end up battling against their life. We suggest that the ban on the production and use of the particular metal string just might solve this problem once and for all.
Earlier this month, a young man named Mohsin passed away in Lahore as he attempted to untangle his kite from the electrical pole – he died with an electric shock and became another victim of the Basant festival. The kite flying obsession has taken over many lives in the past and ever since the ban has been lifted, it seems like that these tragedies might continue to happen in future if the government doesn’t take a sound action.
The accidents due to Basant are no surprise and every other minute of every other day, we come across news of various causalities that are the result of this. Festivals mean that people come together with their loved ones and celebrate the occasion but Basant brings the opposite.
What do you think the government must do? How should the precautions be taken against such mishaps? Let us know what you think about the Basant festival and whether it should be celebrated every year or should it just be banned for good since people are unable to handle it safely!
