Festival of Uttarayan being celebrated with zeal, fervor today

Ahmedabad: In Gujarat, the festival of Uttarayan is being celebrated with zeal and fervor today. The day which marks the beginning of the sun's journey northwards, is celebrated by flying kites in Gujarat. Union Home and cooperation Minister Amit Shah will celebrate Uttarayan with family in Ahmedabad today. 

Mr Shah will also fly kites in his Lok Sabha assembly constituency Gandhinagar.People in Gujarat celebrate Uttarayan with great enthusiasm for two full days by flying colourful kites in the sky.

The first day is celebrated as Uttarayan while the second one as Basi Uttarayan. On this day, Skies are dotted



with colorful, attractive kites, balloons and terraces are filled with people from all ages. People enjoy the festival with traditional spicy winter dish called undhiyu, and delicious local sweet dishes such as Chikki, Tal Sakli.  

People also visit the temple on this day and engage in charity works. To treat birds injured by kite strings, the state government has launched 'Karuna Abhiyan' in the state. As part of the campaign, Nearly 865 bird rescue centers have been set up across the state and more than 750 doctors and 8,000 volunteers have joined the campaign to save birds.