I was just an email away from relishing Bahar kay Rung

I grew up in Lahore before moving to the UK, and eventually life swept away and Lahore seemed like a precious distant memory. Even so, I would often stumble upon the memory of the fascinatingly colorful Basant Festival and our father taking us to watch the kite war, which had always intrigued me.

The crispy spring air testified that winter still lingered at the door. The colorful attires, the bright eccentric kites and numerous food stalls serving soup, fries, samosas, popcorns, jalebis, hot chai and what not were the highlights of the season! My mouth watered with the thought as my friends made themselves comfortable in my hotel room. The hotel was neat and buzzing with tourists from all over Pakistan anxiously waiting for the kite festival the next morning.

There was a knock at the door and we received an invite to attend a small gathering in the hotel lobby. The banner read, “The Origins of Basant”.

“This was the passion of the great Maharaja Ranjit Singh who adored kites and colors, after his wife! He ruled over the beloved sub-continent in the early 1800s and held Basant Fairs, “Spring Fairs”, my dear guests, with the sport of kite flying being the main feature of the festivals. He and his queen would dress in yellow and fly kites together. What a love, what a passion!”, the host who was also dressed in yellow spoke enthusiastically. With the interest he displayed, he could have been the modern Maharaja Ranjit Singh!

We booked a cab and rushed to EGO located at the Packages Mall just half an hour before it was expected to close. You could spot the bright tones hanging inside the store even from afar as though the whole of spring had bloomed inside EGO!

“Girls, discipline yourselves. One outfit is enough for the festival.”

“One?”, and we all laughed.

A staff member smilingly informed us that the collection was called, “Bahar Kay Rung”, and that it was getting sold out rapidly. I was not surprised and helped myself first to a yellow outfit which would doubtlessly be the outfit for the festival. Then I grabbed a pink 2 piece, then a blue, a green and a couple more until I collided into my friend who herself seemed to be draped with styles!

The girls and I met at the counter shamelessly giggling because EGO made it seem like we lacked patience and discipline.

“But who cares? The fashion industry would perhaps collapse if not for women”, we consoled each other.