Kite flying in Kapu beach

In the middle of our trip to Udupi and Mangalore, we got an hour to spend at the Kapu beach. 

Just as we entered the beach, I saw a board that said "Kites for sale".. I had tried flying kites a few times as a kid, and they never really took off :) But it had always been a dream of mine to fly a kite with no help from an expert :) 

I sensed that this was the moment. I had been waiting for. 

I walked over to the store, bought a kite, and asked for some kite flying tips. The owner assured me that no tricks were necessary ; the ocean breeze would take care of everything, and all I needed to do was to keep releasing the thread that held the kite. 

And sure enough, he was right. Within a few minutes, my kite was soaring beautifully in the sky. I was beaming with happiness and pride, and really enjoying myself.. My son held the string for a few minutes, gleefully running around with the kite string in his hands, watching the kite follow him anywhere he went :) He soon got back to collecting his sea shells, and the string was back in my hands. 

My wife was amused to see me so happy with the kite, that she asked he how much it cost. "50 rupees" I said.. "Total paisa vasool ", she replied :D 

It was time for us to leave. I knew that this beloved kite of mine would never fly this way in Bangalore. 

I decided to hand it over to some kid in the beach. A noticed a couple of kids marveling at my kite, high up in the sky. I walked over, and offered the kite string to them. They replied with "No, thanks"... I get it .. I used to be that kid. 

Just then, my wife pointed to a bunch of government school kids arriving in the beach with their school teachers, for an outing. I headed to one of the teachers, and said I wanted to give away my kite. The teacher seemed confused. No one had offered a kite in any of the previous school picnics :D.. A school kid, meanwhile,  overheard the conversation, came over, and grabbed the kite and the string. He called his friend to join him, and within a few minutes, he had the kite well on its way to its earlier peak :) 

With that sense of initiative, I'm sure he will soar in life, just like that kite... 

And just like that, one of my long held fun dreams was fulfilled ...