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‘kite fighting’, in which kite fighters try to snag each other’s kites or cut other kites down, is popular. In Afghanistan this is known as Gudiparan Bazi. Some kite fighters pass their strings through a mixture of ground glass powder and glue. The resulting strings are very abrasive and can sever the competitor’s strings. However, this practice is dangerous since the abrasive strings can also injure people. During the Taliban rule in Afghanistan, kite flying was banned, among various other recreations.

Kite flying is more than a pastime in Afghanistan — it is a national obsession.  The streets of the capital, Kabul, are filled with shops selling kite-flying equipment, and the skies above the city are decorated each day with hundreds of colorful kites fluttering in the wind.

Banned by the Taliban as un-Islamic, kite flying has now hit new heights of popularity in the country. Afghans have elevated kite flying — or “gudiparan bazi” — to an art form, and one of its chief attractions is kite fighting. To the first-time visitor, the skies above Kabul appear to be filled with fluttering birds or pieces of paper caught in the wind. A closer look reveals hundreds of brightly colored kites soaring high into the air.

The Taliban regime banned hobbies such as kite flying and bird keeping, in the belief that such pastimes were un-Islamic. A young kiteflier talks about what could be done to you if caught with a kite: “During the Taliban, kite flying was not allowed. If you flew a kite, (the Taliban) would beat you and would break the spool and tear the kite up. Even if you had a pigeon in your hand, or any other birds, they would beat you and make it go free.” 

Afghans can again fly kites without fear of punishment. Many Afghans have returned to the pastime with a vengeance. Kite flying is a two-person affair. One person, the “charka gir,” holds the wooden spool around which the wire, or “tar,” is wound. The second person - the “gudiparan baz,” or kite flyer - actually controls the movement of the kite in the air. Another local flier, age 25, stands on the shaky roof of his small video cassette shop in southeastern Kabul, engaged in a kite fight with an unseen opponent elsewhere in the neighborhood. In Afghanistan, wherever you find kites, you will find kite fighting. During the fight, or “jang,” two kites are flown close to one another, often to great heights. The object is then to use the wire of your kite to cut the wire of your opponent’s kite to set it free and away. Afghan kite fighting often depends on the quality of the wire, or string, and how it is prepared. First, glass is finely ground and combined with an adhesive to make a thick paste. The wire is then coated with this paste to make it strong and sharp. After drying, the wire is wound around the spool. Kite fighters often wrap a piece of leather around their fingers to protect themselves from the taut wire, which can easily cut to the bone. When an opponent’s kite is cut free, it flutters away into the far reaches of the city. Such kites are said to be “azadi rawest,” or “free and legal,” and can be retrieved by neighborhood children to fly another day. Each neighborhood also crowns its own “sharti,” or kite-fighting champion.

Kites cost from 2,000 afghanis (just a few cents) for tiny children’s kites no bigger than a magazine, to 100,000 afghanis (less than $2) for large kites usually handled only by the most experienced flyers. A local kite store owner says he still sold kites during the days of the Taliban, but that everywhere it was done in secret. “During the Taliban, we were doing our business here, but if they found out, they would come and destroy our kites, spools, and other things, as they did many times. They burned our kites and other stuff, asking who the owner was. But we could not say anything, because if they knew, they would imprison us in Amribelmaroof (prison).”

Winter is one of the most popular times for kite flying in Afghanistan. The winds are strong, and schools are closed because of the cold weather. While it brings mostly smiles, kite flying is also dangerous. Many people are injured when they fall from roofs while chasing free floating kites or when they lose concentration and footing during a heated battle. Thirty-six-year-old Sharif is flying a kite beside the dry, trash-filled bed of the Kabul River in central Kabul. He says he’s been flying kites for about 20 years, always on Fridays. Sharif recalls the glory days of kite flying in Kabul, before the Taliban. “Before the Taliban, people used to fly kites in a place called Chaman-i-Babrak (in northern Kabul), and kite flying competitions were held there. Kids, young people, and older people from all over Afghanistan and Kabul City would gather there. They used to lay wagers on fighting kites.” Sharif smiles. He wants to get back to his kite flying. There is a battle to be won.

http://www.rferl.org/features/2002/11/15112002192521.asphttp://www.afghana.com/Entertainment/Gudiparanbazi.htm

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1592857,00.html