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Santhosh Chandran
AS Indian expatriate Abdulla Maliyekkal demonstrated the fine art of kite-flying to a large number of people gathered at the Katara beach recently, they were left mesmerised. Meanwhile, a mammoth kite made by internationally reputed kite manufacturer and designer Peter Linen, from New Zealand, took to the skies adding to the joy of people.
The event was organised by Address International Event, an events management group, as a precursor to a three-day kite festival scheduled to be held at Katara next month.
Talking to Qatar Tribune, Address International Event Managing Director Shamseer Hamza said, “We have been on the project for more than a couple of months. Talks with the authorities are in progress for organising the three-day International Kite Festival in Doha. The festival will feature kite-flying demonstrations by internationally reputed teams from India, Malaysia, Singapore and China. Some 100 kite flyers from Doha will join the three-day festival, which will also feature a workshop on kite-making. The festival will be the first of its kind in Doha”.
The kite-flying demonstration by Maliyekkal attracted a lot of attention. After the show, Maliyekkal said, “The beaches of the countries in the Gulf region are ideal for kite-flying. As part of promoting tourism, many countries have taken the initiative to organise kite festivals — one of the oldest forms of entertainment in the world.” Maliyekkal and his team have performed at many places including Kuala Lumpur, Weifang, Wuhan, and Beijing. He is also popular among kite-flyers in India with his participation in kite festivals in cities like Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Udaipur and Ahmedabad.
Flying rare and huge kites in countries across the world, Maliyekkal is on the way to Guinness Book of World Records, he told Qatar Tribune.
Maliyekkal and his six-member team is also a member of the International Kite Federation in China and are associated with the Asian Kite Federation and One World One Sky USA.
Talking about the event, Shamseer Hamza said, “The response we received from the public after the demonstration at Katara was quite inspiring.
“A couple of reputed business houses have also offered help for the festival, which we hope would be a big draw in Doha.”
