CHANDIGARH: In city beautiful here, the kite flying marked the day on Saturday on Basant festival. The 33rd festival kicked off with a bang in a leisure valley here.

The auspicious festival of Basant Panchmi is time for flowers and trees to bloom, shedding there old leaves.

It is organized by Chandigarh administration tourism in collaboration with the Environment Society of India. SK Sharma, President, Environment Society of India, tells, "This year 'Mirza Sahiba', a play scripted by the professor of mass communication, Dalbir, Sangeet Natak Academy and Baba Pokhar Singh will be performing tomorrow." Ravinder sharma, a lecturer in College of Fine Arts, along with his students is setting up the artists' corner. They'll be making cards and tattoos.

On Monday various competitions like painting competition, flying kite will be organized. .Ravinder Bajaj from sector 11 is a regular visitor in this festival, comes here for flying kites with his 8 years old son Aanshoo as he wants him to learn their all traditions.

He tells, "We are coming here for many years as I love flying kites, it memorises my past when we were kids and we use to fly kites at our home," and adds that he enjoy the festival a lot with his son. He loves flying kites so much that he has even got many kites for his son, who otherwise also flies it. Aashoo said, "I am flying kites since I was five years old and enjoy it and will be coming here for all three days as the festival makes him more happy as lot of people gather here to fly these together. Sharma said, "This is the festival anyone of any age can enjoy and not only children," and adds that every year they get around 3,000-4,000 kites.