What caught the storyteller’s eye as they were returning home?
The bright kites caught the storyteller’s eye as they were returning home.
What did the storyteller feel when they saw the kites?
The storyteller felt a deep stirring inside them like a painful wrench when they saw the kites.
What did the storyteller’s childhood memories have to do with the kites?
The row of kites brought back sharp childhood memories that the storyteller seemed to have sealed up long ago.
What childhood memories did the kites bring back to the storyteller?
The kites brought back memories of the storyteller’s childhood in Baroda where kite-flying was a ritual during Sankranti.
What were some of the activities and competitions involved in kite-flying in the storyteller’s childhood memories?
The storyteller’s childhood memories of kite-flying included inter-muhalla kite-flying competitions, the loudspeakers announcing a victory, the large charkhas of coloured thread, the variety of kites, the davpech or competition, the kheench or the dheel (the pull and Jet), and the two techniques used to attack one’s opponent.
How did the boys react when a kite was cut?
The boys would yell “kati-hai” (I’ve cut it!) and run with baniloo poles to catch the kites that had been cut.
What happened when the protagonist saw the kites in the shop?
The protagonist asked the driver to stop the car and he went back to the shop. He entered the shop and asked the shopkeeper how much the kites were. An unkempt young man came to attend to him, and when he asked about the kites, the young man’s face lit up and his smile never vanished until the protagonist left.
What did the protagonist buy at the kite shop and how did he feel after the purchase?
The protagonist bought two kites for a rupee each, a 400-yard spindle of thread, and some manja. However, on second thoughts, he decided not to buy the manja. After the purchase, he felt light-hearted and free after quite a long time.
What did the author do when he came home a little earlier and found the house silent?
The author turned on the UGC programme on TV for company and took out his kites. He decided to harness one of them and tied the pilot string to the kite. He also lit an agarbatti and burned two pairs of tiny holes into the delicate bamboo cross-bow chassis.
What does the author say about kite-flying in the end?
The author says that kite-flying can be a symbol of many things, such as freedom, imagination, human aspiration, and the longing for the infinite.
What are the different possibilities mentioned if the thread of the kite is cut?
The different possibilities mentioned if the thread of the kite is cut are: disappearing into the sky, being grounded again, being mounted up again, sent up to cut down other kites or be cut by them, being left forlornly stuck on an electrical pole, or being caught in the branches of a tree, fluttering when the breeze moves us.
