Spirits soar high with kites on Church Street

More than 100 kite enthusiasts took part in “Church Street Kite Carnival,” organised to erase the  memories of the December 28 bomb attack at the busy and lively road.

Church Street reverberated with laughter and cheer with people climbing to rooftops for flying their kites.

Nagaraj N M, a middle-aged auditor, sweat it out with his wife and son to fly a kite from on top of a building.

‘Social responsibility’
“I felt it is was my social responsibility to come out here and participate in such an initiative. It is my way of showing solidarity with the fighting spirit of the city against such heinous acts," Nagaraj said, referring to the bomb blast on Church Street.

Standing close by was his wife, Vijaya Nagaraj, an IT professional.
“The bomb incident was very difficult to digest and coming out like this after all that took place is our way of asking Church Street and Bengaluru not to be cowed down,” Vijaya said.

Support from shops
The initiative received wide support from shops on Church Street with a number of them giving wide access to the public for flying kites.

On the roof of another building, Meera Ramakrishna, who works for an MNC, was with her son having a good time.

“I could have flown a kite from my own terrace. However, this way I wanted to show my support to the community and the City as a whole and offer my condolences to the victim’s family,” she said.

Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Gowda who participated in the event hoped that the kite festival would help people forget the shocking incident and create an air of positivity.
 The event was organised by Bangalore Needs You, a citizens’ movement.