This document provides background information on Basant in Pakistan. It discusses the historical origins of Basant originating from a festival started by a Hindu man named Kalu Ram to honor another Hindu man, Hakeekat Rai Bakhmal Puri, who was arrested for disrespecting the Prophet Muhammad. The main activities of Basant include kite flying at night, wearing yellow clothes, applying mehndi, barbeques, fireworks and renting rooftops. Basant was last celebrated in 2009 before being banned due to deaths and injuries caused by glass-coated kite strings and celebratory gunfire. Social factors for the ban include the use of deadly kite strings, unfair restrictions on some economic classes

1. BASANT IN
PUNJAB-
PAKISTAN
M U H A M M A D S A U D K H A R A L
P H D I N S O C I A L S C I E N C E ,
D E P A R T M E N T O F S O C I O L O G Y F A C U L T Y O F S O C I A L A N D
P O L I T I C A L S C I E N C E S , U N I V E R S I T A S A I R L A N G G A , S U R A B A Y A
I N D O N E S I A .
E M A I L : M U H H A M M A D . S A U D @ G M A I L . C O M

2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Dr. B.S. Nijjar's book, "Punjab Under the
LaterMughals". According to him, when
Zakariya Khan (1707-1759) was the governor of
Punjab, a Hindu of Sialkot, by the name of
Hakeekat Rai Bakhmal Puri spoke words of
disrespect for the Prophet Muhammad(saw)
and his daughter Fatima (ra). He was arrested
and sent to Lahore to await trial.

3. As a tribute to his memory, a prosperous Hindu, Kalu Ram initiated
the Basant 'mela' in (Marrhi) Kot Khwaja Saeed (Khoje Shahi) in
Lahore. Dr. B.S. Nijjar states on Page no. 279 of his book that the
Basant 'mela' is celebrated in memory of Hakeekat Rai.

4. MAIN ACTIVITIES OF
BASANT FESTIVAL
• It is celebrated in the month of march –apirl.
• The preparation starts 2 or 3 months before
• People play loud music and dance
• barbeque at night
• People get new dresses ,especially girls wear yellow clothes and
apply mehndi on their hands

5. ACTIVATES
• Buy kites and threads worth thousands of rupees.
• Mostly celebrated at night .after sunset.
• People came at their roof tops.
• Big search lights are planted to keep a clear view on their kites
and surrondings
• Kite flying all night
• Heavy fireworks
• Roofs are rented out for one night

6. BASANT NOW. .
• Basant was last celebrated in March 2009. The event has been
banned because of deaths and injuries in past years caused by
gunfire and string coated in ground glass intended to bring
down rival kites.
• No one would be allowed to fly kites without permission even
during the permitted days and violations would lead to six-
month imprisonment and Rs 100,000 fine.

7. SOME SOCIAL FACTORS
BEHIND BAN ON BASANT
• 1. Deadly wires
There is a cry for banning string that has been coated with
glass or is made of wire as this results in hundreds of deaths
each season, but this has failed.
• Basant is fun for the rich
People riding bicycles and motorcycles are inconvenienced
Basant, as they are not allowed to drive their vehicles. It’s an
unfair law that applies only to people belonging to a
economic class

8. SOCIAL FACTORS CONTD. .
• . Aerial firing
Another problem is of people accidentally getting shot. When
people firing into the sky and the bullets go wrong in its
direction and kill some innocent in its way. Many cases
happened every year before ban on basant.