Sankranti and 'patangs'

I wonder who it was who brought 'patangs' or kites to Hyderabad. They fill the skies in quite a few sizes and all the colours you could think of.
From the time that we grew up--in the 60's--to these days, the price of patangs, manja ( the sharp thread used to cut other kites) and charaKhs has gone up in astronomical proportions. No wonder, there aren't as many kites as we used to see around December and early January, but Makara Sankranti seems to have made up for all that. There were zillions of kites everywhere and I couldn't resist getting into a few 'painches' (kite-fights) myself, when my job was actually to keep a close eye on my kids and their friends who were flying from our rooftop. The terminology (of 'patangbaazi') hasn't changed with the times, mercifully, and so everyone knows that a 'Dhiil' fight is one in which you keep releasing the string till you cut or get cut, just as 'khiinch' is tugging to the bitter finish (definitely requiring more skill). But not everyone these days seems to know what a 'jiiba' or a 'pattidar' is, as opposed to earlier times. But then times they sure are achanging......

NB. It is a harvest festival celebrated in most parts of India under different names .. Sankranti(A.P, Karnataka), Pongal(Tamil Nadu), Makar Sankranti (Maharastra and Gujarat) and Lohri (Punjab and Haryana). source: Me, Myself, I and stuff...., by Rajitha
PUNCHLINE:
Meethe gud main mil gaya til,
udi patang aur khil gaya dil,
Har pal sukh aur har din shanti aap ke liye Happy Makar Sankranti..
source: SMS Messages Collection#18- EJalgaon.com