Ahmedabad, January 11: When Indonesian James Kekenusa made his travel plans for the International Kite Festival that got off to a flying start in Ahmedabad today, he had two other enthusiasts from the Jakarta Kite-Fliers Association for company. But the killer wave that hit South Asia washed away these plans. Today, Kekenusa stands alone at the Indonesia stall surrounded by colourful kites.

‘‘My colleagues had to pull out. One of them who is the vice-president of the club, Rony Ibrahim, lost 40 relatives in the tsunami. So many of our people have died and many others are busy with relief work. It is very sad but life cannot stop. It has to move on,’’ says Kekenusa, trying to put a brave face on the tragedy.

Of the seven kite festivals across Indonesia, he likened the one in Gujarat to the Bali International Kite Festival where people — majority of them Hindu — fly kites for the Gods. ‘‘The festival here has quite the same spirit,’’ says Kekenusa, who stays in Jakarta, two hours from the tsunami-hit area. The International Kite Festival in Ahmedabad is a precursor to the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Summit that begins on Wednesday.

However, Nikarif Nickhasan from Malaysia, who participated in a kite festival in England last year, he finds a ‘‘world of difference’’ between the two. ‘‘There are too many people here and the crowd can’t be controlled. We have 20 kites here,’’ he says, pointing at a colourful Wau Bulan (moon) kite and another one that sports the Malaysian Airline logo. Interestingly, the most vibrant and beautifully designed kites belonged to the Malaysians. A civil servant, Nickhasan says his hobby transformed into a serious passion and that’s the reason he is today president of KITES. As head of this association, he decides on the shape, colours and patterns of all Malaysian kites that will be entered in competitions.

Nickhasan is already ‘‘looking forward to the Pasir Gudang International Kite Festival in Johar Baru from February 20 to 27 which will have 50 countries participating.’’

The tsunami tragedy hasn’t failed to touch him as well. ‘‘We are organising a charity show to generate resources for those who’ve lost so much. Eight of us were scheduled to participate in this festival but only three of us have come down. Because of the tsunami, the rest had to opt out,’’ says Nickhasan. Ken Tangku Mat, vice-president of KITES, was all smiles as ‘‘four stewards from Malaysian Airlines came here specially to meet us. That is very touching, especially when our country is facing trying times’’.

For the Sri Lankans, making it to the festival hasn’t been easy. One of their kites is in the shape of a phoenix. ‘‘We made this keeping the tsunami in mind. Like a phoenix rises from the ashes, we, too, hope our country will recover soon,’’ says Devsiri Fernando of the Pan Lanka Kite Flyers Association who helped with relief operations in Colombo from December 26 to 31. After the tsunami, the Lankans did think of cancelling this trip. ‘‘But we didn’t do so as this is the first time our country was participating in an international kite festival. We also realised that we need to rise above the tsunami mindset. We, thus, considered this an exercise to free our minds from the tragedy,’’ says Fernando, who stays near Colombo.

Added Fernando, ‘‘In Sri Lanka, kite flying is done mainly by the lower income group.’’ Which is why Buddima Caldera, an electrician, and Iranka Fernando, an auto-driver, are part of the delegation for this kite festival. ‘‘Coming to such a festival brings honour to my country,’’ says Caldera, a kite-maker’s son who has worked extensively in relief operations post-tsunami.

Unfortunately for the Sri Lankans, one of their boxes containing six kites was held up at Mumbai airport. ‘‘It had a beautiful peacock, a snake and a tsunami kite,’’ says Fernando, as she shows off his kites to passersby. For these participants from tsunami-hit countries, the festival is also about strengthening a human bond. About soaring as high as the kites they’ve created.