India, Jan. 12 -- All but disappeared from the city skies, kites still live strong among a cabal of longstanding enthusiasts in Jaipur.

Kite contests, held ahead of Makar Sankranti on January 14 in the Pink City, an occasion a passion that can only be rivalled by an India-Pak cricket match.

Once a source of pride and identity for the state capital, such aerial combats today live on passion alone, with no state patronage, lament the kite club members.

All the same, the lack of support has not deterred the exponents of the niche art - a flyer's skill of sending a kite to dart and drop, ascend lordly, or remain poised in solemn wobble against the wind. Ashok Vaishnav of the Pink City Kite Club Flying Association explained the rules of the...