US Pakistanis Celebrate Basant in Arizona

The rhythmic throb of Pakistani music and the savory scent of kabob, samosa and curry filled the air, while children scrambled to pick up downed kites and send them aloft again. Or else collect the pieces of torn paper and shattered bamboo. The breeze was light but the spirit was strong Sunday as hundreds of people gathered in Tempe for Basant Mela, the traditional Pakistani kite-flying celebration of spring. Soon, he and a few dozen other people, young and old, struggled to launch their small, Pakistani-made kites in the modest air current. Pulling the strings in rapid jerks while stepping back, they sent them up into the cloudless blue sky, where the diamond-shaped patches fluttered like moths.