Kites, commerce and a people reborn

2026-02-22 - 22:13

LAHORE’S sky last week looked like a moving painting. From dawn until well past midnight, thousands of kites in bright yellows, pinks, greens and blues fluttered above rooftops, drifting and diving in a choreography that felt both spontaneous and ancient. The shouts of children, the laughter of families and the familiar cry of victory when one kite cut another carried through the air like music. After nearly two decades of prohibition, Basant returned not as nostalgia but as proof that culture, when managed responsibly, can be both safe and economically transformative. More than 900000 vehicles entered the city in three days. Roughly 1.4 million passengers used public transport. Over 600000 rode the Orange Line free of cost. Hotels filled, restaurants overflowed, vendors sold out their stock and rooftop gatherings became small businesses. For a city long associated in global headlines with security concerns and political turbulence, Lahore offered a different image. It presented itself as joyful, organized and open to the world. This is not merely a local festival story. It is an economic story and a political one. Around the world, cities have learned that cultural celebrations are not indulgences but engines of growth. Munich’s Oktoberfest attracts about six million visitors annually and generates more than one billion dollars for the Bavarian economy. Rio de Janeiro’s Carnival injects hundreds of millions into Brazil’s tourism sector in a matter of days. New Orleans during Mardi Gras and Times Square on New Year’s Eve demonstrate similar effects, with hospitality, transport and retail sectors benefiting from dense flows of spending. These events create jobs for small traders as well as large corporations. They also broadcast a powerful message that the city is alive. Basant showed that Lahore can play in that league. Even conservative estimates suggest significant returns. If 900000 visiting vehicles carried an average of three people and each visitor spent the modest equivalent of Rs. 15000 on food, travel, accommodation and shopping, the direct spending would cross Rs. 40 billion in just three days. Add local spending, vendor profits, transport revenues and the multiplier effect that economists use to measure how one rupee circulates several times through the market, and the figure easily climbs higher. For many small businesses, a weekend like this equals months of income. Equally important is the symbolism. Pakistan is often framed internationally through the language of crisis. Yet here was a peaceful mass gathering that required careful planning, QR code registration, banned hazardous strings, medical camps and coordinated policing. The result was a festival without major incidents. Discipline and celebration coexisted. That combination challenges the stereotype that public festivities in South Asia must be chaotic or unsafe. There is also a deeper cultural argument. Festivals are collective memory in motion. They remind citizens that their identity is richer than politics or economics. In Europe, Christmas markets illuminate old towns each winter and attract millions of tourists. In the United States, Thanksgiving parades and Independence Day fireworks define the civic calendar. In East Asia, lunar new year festivals mobilize entire economies. These societies understand that tradition can be modernized without being erased. Regulation replaces prohibition and management replaces fear.For years Pakistan chose to ban Basant after tragic accidents linked to unsafe kite strings, a decision that protected lives but cost the city a cherished tradition and valuable economic activity. This year’s revival reflects a more balanced approach, replacing prohibition with regulation through safer materials, emergency services, expanded transport and a partnership between the government and the public. The presence of foreign diplomats and international media further amplified the message. Soft power is not built only through speeches or policies. It is built through images that travel across screens. A skyline filled with kites is far more persuasive than any press release. It tells investors and tourists that the city is functional and welcoming. At a time when Pakistan seeks foreign capital and greater integration with the global economy, such signals matter. Critics say festivals distract from inflation and unemployment, but culture fuels the economy. Vendors, drivers, artisans and musicians rely on these surges of demand, and when cities go quiet the poorest suffer first. Regulated celebration is not a luxury but a form of livelihood and welfare.Basant also strengthened social bonds as families shared rooftops and parks, children learned from elders and neighbours connected across divides, creating the everyday trust that holds communities together. For Pakistan, the message is simple that safety and celebration, faith and festivity can coexist.It can design events that respect law and culture simultaneously. More cities should develop their own annual celebrations, whether linked to spring, heritage, crafts or food. A calendar of well managed festivals would spread economic benefits across regions and counter the narrative that Pakistan is defined by extremism. The reality is that Pakistanis are neither fundamentalists nor reactionaries but practical and moderate people who want stability, opportunity and moments of happiness with their families. As the last kites disappeared into the night sky, Lahore looked less like a city emerging from a long ban and more like one rediscovering its confidence. Basant proved that tradition can be an asset, not a liability. If sustained every year, it could become one of South Asia’s great public spectacles, a festival that brings not only colour to the sky but money to the market and optimism to the national mood. In a country hungry for good news, that may be the most valuable return of all. —The writer is PhD in Political Science, and visiting faculty at QAU Islamabad. (zafarkhansafdar@yahoo.com)