India is a country of festivals. Colourful, traditional, elaborate, joyous, ritualistic and also some unusual and unorthodox ones. My all-time favourite Indian Festival is Makar Sankranti – The Festival of Kites.

Makar Sankranti or Lohri, as it’s referred to in some parts of India, or Uttarayan, as it’s known in Gujarat, is a rare solar festival that marks the movement of the Sun from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere.

Interestingly, as it’s based on the movement of the Sun, it’s one of the few Indian festivals that fall on the same date every year – the 14th of January. It also signals the arrival of spring and the harvesting season for farmers who celebrate it as the “harvest festival”.

“Makar Sankranti” is the day when the Sun moves into ‘Makara Raashi’ or the Capricorn constellation or zodiac, and “Uttarayan” comes from joining two Sanskrit words – “Uttar” meaning north and “ayan” meaning towards. This major Indian festival is also dedicated to Surya, the Indian Sun God and is recognized as the “Festival of Kites” too.

It is believed our ancestors devised this kite festival to encourage everybody to be outdoors and soak in the vital vitamin D providing sun rays, which are supposed to be at their finest during this transitory phase of the Sun. Flying kites is also beneficial for the eyes, neck, shoulders, etc.

While Makar Sankranti is celebrated all over India, the kite festival in Gujarat is particularly spectacular and special with whole families gathering on the rooftop to fly kites. On 14th January, the skies over Gujarat are full of kites from dawn until well after dark. Almost all normal activity ceases and everyone takes to the rooftops and grounds to fly kites.

Given this, every year I try and go somewhere where I too can enjoy flying kites and this time, it was the small town of Balasinor in Gujarat. Nawab Salauddinkhan Babi, very kindly invited me to come and celebrate Uttarayan at the Garden Palace Balasinor, which the family runs as a heritage homestay.

And what a tremendous trip it was. Lots of kite flying and kite cutting, tons of fun and the most fantastic food. Yes food. Nawab Salauddin’s mother Begum Farhat Sultana, and his wife Begum Zeba, run one of the finest kitchens and in their home one is assured of a royal feast fit for kings. With its age old recipes the cuisine of Balasinor is known for its rich flavours and fine textures and some dishes are so detailed and delicate, that their preparation can take couple of days! And I did stay a couple of days – both to fly kites and relish the food and the warm hospitality of this lovely family.

Apart from this, Balasninor now also finds itself on the world map due to the work the erstwhile royal family, and in particular Salauddin’s sister, Nawabzadi Aaliya Sultana Babi, have done in preserving and promoting the dinosaur site, which is just 15 km from Balasinor. It is thanks to their efforts and protection of this dinosaur site, that the Gujarat government has established the ‘Dinosaur Fossil Park Raioli’ that is now visited by tourists from all over the world. So why don’t you also plan a driving holiday to “Feast like a King” and walk where dinosaurs once roamed.