The science behind kite flying on 14 January and also on 15 January (in some parts of India) goes beyond just the change in wind direction and the harvest festival. There is more to it than meets the sky.
- Understand the power of a mere paper. You can definitely tear it, however, when you make a kite out of it, it faces the wind and the sky. There’s a lot of physics but also learning about life from it
- Makar Sankranti / Pongal/ Bihu / Lohri all mark not only the harvest time in the different parts of the country but bring into focus the slight shift in the season gradually. It is about movement – a shift… moving away from negative people to embracing positive thoughts too
- Days will slowly be longer than nights since the earth is also moving and the seasons are slowly turning and the planetary alignment is also changing into a major movement on this day
- Try eating green freshly harvested vegetables and yams for it is believed that the preparation of these mixed together helps the body to prepare for the change in season henceforth. Undhiyu is a specific preparation in Gujarat for this day.
- The jaggery aids in digestion and combined with the natural properties of tel (sesame) and groundnuts helps bring in nourishment too
- It is believed that the kite flying ritual started to combine the wind direction and play along with the Vitamin D benefits of the sun to the body and hence this kite flying enjoyment emerged.
- Some people pray to Sun God for warmth and light as well as energy. Some people bathe in the Ganges too. Though this has a religious aspect to it, the auspicious part also combines with the Surya Namaskar and Yoga on this day.
So you see, astrology, astronomy, science, yoga, food, body, culture and beliefs all get assimilated on a single day to demonstrate the fact that our lives are beyond just one or two points but a great holistic approach is a must to recognize why we behave the way we behave. Festivals have their roots in logic and arts as much as science and philosophy of living.
