"Basant"

"Basant" is a word used in the Sanskrit languages meaning Spring or Spring like. The day of "Basant" marks the official start of Spring and the end of Winter. It is celebrated through out the Indian Sub-continent by all. Families prepare for weeks for this special day. The main event of the day is to fly kites and kites there are all over the sky. As a child growing up, I always wondered what would happen if it rained on that day, but in all my years in the sub-continent,  the day of "Basant" was always a bright sunny day. Most of the roof tops in the sub-continent are flat and they are used as a form of a courtyard for lack of having one on the ground. The roof tops are a gathering place for the whole family as that is where the cool breezes are. Not a single roof top would be without someone flying a kite on "Basant" day. As for the sky, it would be so full of color. The kites flown in the sub-continent are without tails and special home made twine is created to fly them. Each family guards their secret in making the kite as well as the twine.   I would prepare along with my sisters and cousins for this day. Special twine would be created for flying the kites. The kites were not just flown for the sake of seeing who could get them up the highest but to capture and  cut down everyone else's kites.  The competition is to bag as many kites as possible. The twine would be coated with special home made ingredients which would enable the kite flyer to cut the twine of others. "KATA", "KATA" (I cut it, I cut it) shouts would be heard throughout the day. There is no age limit to "Basant", all ages, children, adults, Fathers, Grand Fathers, everyone would participate. The women would wear yellow as a symbol of the coming of Spring and prepare special dishes as the day would be spend visiting with family and friends.  At night, the elders would relish in telling stories to the young ones of how they fought a special "kite war" when they were young and the whole process would be told over and over just as today someone would narrate a ball game.  This collection  does have a kite, but the kite has a tail. I have created my vision of Spring in these designs. The designs are all for the 4x4 hoop but they can be used to create much larger designs as shown in the picture of a cushion above. The designs are small enough to be used as borders for linen or for adorning the garments of children and even dolls. I hope you like "Basant" as much as I enjoyed creating it.