Team Mangalore Planning on Hosting International Kite Festival by January End. Team Mangalore is exploring the possibility of reaching out to both international flyers and potential sponsors to host the event
Mangaluru: In light of the district administration’s uncertainty regarding the much-awaited International Kite Festival, Team Mangalore, a hobby group of kite flyers, is considering organising a kite festival at the end of this month. With international kite flyers scheduled to visit Gujarat and participate in various festivals across India, Team Mangalore is exploring the possibility of reaching out to both international flyers and potential sponsors to host the event. Sarvesh Rao, founder, of Team Mangalore, said that the team is putting in its best effort and trying hard to organise a kite fest. However, there is very little time left and the kite flyers are all busy. The beaches of Mangaluru offer the best flying conditions for kite enthusiasts, he said.
Dinesh Holla, a core member of the team, said, “The last Mangaluru International Kite Festival was held in 2020, and there is considerable public pressure for another kite festival. We are currently in discussions with several kite flyers and are optimistic about securing sponsors for the event.” Team Mangalore was established in 1998 by Sarvesh Rao and technical aspects are overseen by Prashanth Kumar; Dinesh Holla, skillfully executes the artistic design, and other essential details are managed by Sathish Rao, Pranesh, Giridhar Kamath, Nithin Shetty, and others.
The team’s iconic ‘Kathakali’ kite, which has graced international skies by participating in more than 50 international kite festivals, is hailed as a masterpiece. This 36ft kite previously entered the Limca Book of Records as India’s largest kite. The kite is about two decades old, and because of its initial fade and slight damage it sustained, the team undertook the task of recreating the kite, but this time increasing its height to 38ft and width to 12ft.
This year, Team Mangalore is gearing up for participation in kite festivals in Qatar, Gujarat, and Telangana. The team’s repertoire includes other giant kites like Yaksahgana, Gajaraja, Rakshasa, Bhootakola, Garuda, Pushpaka Vimana, and more. The construction of these larger kites involves the use of rip-stop nylon fabric, carbon fibre, tubes and locally sourced bamboo. The team has participated in international kite festivals held in France, Italy, the UK, Canada, South Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Dubai, Qatar and Sri Lanka.
