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Lahore, Pakistan – Hasnain Khalid, 17, has never flown a kite.

Over the past week, though, Khalid and his 27-year-old cousin, Noman Tariq, have bought 200 kites. They’re preparing for festivities that have long been a central facet of life in Lahore, but were banned in 2007.

Now, Basant, as the three-day festival is called, is returning, starting on Friday. The historic Mochi Gate, one of old Lahore’s 13 gates that date back to the Mughal era, is bustling once again with shops selling kites along narrow, dimly lit streets.

For the past six days, thousands of people have poured in to buy kites and related paraphernalia. Historically rooted in Vasant Panchami, Basant marks the arrival of spring on the fifth day of the month of Magh in the Hindu lunar calendar. Across Punjab, in both India and Pakistan, people celebrate with singing, dancing and — historically — with kite flying.

But for 18 years, the festival was not allowed. Several deaths linked to accidents while retrieving kites and to the use of chemical-coated kite strings caused public outrage. Despite attempts by successive governments, Basant remained shelved until now.

Its return has triggered a surge in business, boosting the local economy. Kite sellers report sales nearing one billion rupees ($3.5m) for kites and string alone.

Khalid and his cousin were among the buyers.

“We have spent a total of at least 500,000 rupees ($1,780) in the last one week on kites and strings,” he said exuberantly, clutching his prized purchases as passersby asked about their price.

Mohammad Amir Rafique Sheikh, spokesperson for the All Pakistan Kite Flying Association, said the decision to allow Basant had given local industries a much-needed lift. He predicted that total economic activity generated by the three-day festival would run into several billion Pakistani rupees, speaking between phone calls.

“Once it ends on February 8, only after that we will be able to put together a comprehensive analysis of the kind of money that was generated, but with [the hotel] business, catering business, public excitement to celebrate, all of that has contributed massively,” he added, praising the government’s decision to allow the return of the festival.

Ban to boom

Basant has long been a shared legacy of subcontinental Punjab. After partition in 1947, it continued in Lahore, especially within Androon Lahore, the Walled City.

From the 1980s onward, the festival grew in popularity, reaching its peak in the mid to late 1990s. A one-day celebration at the time, it featured daytime and nighttime kite flying from rooftops and open grounds.

Prime rooftops overlooking the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort and surrounding areas commanded hefty rents, running into hundreds of thousands of rupees.

This year, rents have soared further. Some prime rooftops are reportedly going for between 1.5 million ($5,300) and 2.5 million rupees ($8,900) for three days.

A senior official at a local bank in Lahore, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said his bank paid nearly three million rupees to secure a rooftop near Heera Mandi.

“The roof we have managed to acquire would be able to accommodate around 150 to 200 people or so, and it would oversee the Lahore Fort. We have arranged for food stalls, music performances and kite flying for our staff for three days,” he told Al Jazeera.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, senior minister in the Punjab government and a close aide to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, told Al Jazeera that authorities spent nearly five months preparing to ensure Basant’s safe return.

Measures included enforcing a strict regulatory framework, including “revised Basant Act 2025 legislation, detailed transport and operational planning, and pre, during and post-festival arrangements”.

“Technology is at the centre of enforcement,” she said. Surveillance, she added, would be carried out through cameras, “thermal drones, and district administration monitoring systems.

“The city is draped in Basant themes, rooftops are booked and decorated, and the tallest kite ever stands proudly at the heart of the city. The atmosphere is magical, festive, and almost unreal, combining tradition, celebration and safety in a way never seen before,” she said.

Supply meets demand

Mochi Gate remains the epicentre of Basant-related activity. Business gathers pace after midday, when shops open, and continues until midnight.

Thousands stream through the congested lanes. Those fortunate enough to secure kites carry them carefully above their heads to avoid damage.

Among the crowd on Thursday were two young women — a rarity in the male-dominated bazaar — accompanied by their brother.

“We actually took a day off from our office to be able to come here and buy kites, but so far we are not happy with the quality of kites available, plus the prices are just exorbitant,” said Amina Farooq, 26, who works in a local factory.

Farooq said her father and uncles were avid kite flyers. Watching social media buzz and hearing friends talk about Basant made her want to take part.

“I don’t know how to fly a kite or anything about it, to be honest,” she confessed, adding, “but it is about being able to participate in the joyous festivities, that is what matters,” she told Al Jazeera.

Complaints about quality and pricing were widespread. Buyers accused shopkeepers of exploiting high demand and selling substandard products.

With the government allowing only three specific kite sizes, the production cost should not exceed 100 to 150 rupees per kite — less than a dollar — depending on materials, said Ustad Javed Bhatti, a former kitemaker with nearly four decades in the trade.

“What we are seeing right now in the market is completely fraud, with shopkeepers charging margins which are 5 to 10 times more than the cost,” he said.

On February 1, a small kite sold for 120 rupees ($0.40). By February 4, the price had risen to 300 rupees ($1). The most popular medium-sized kite climbed from 200 ($0.7) to 600 rupees ($2). The largest size, initially priced between 400 ($1.4) and 500 rupees ($1.8), was selling for between 1,200 ($4.2) and 1,400 ($5) rupees when Al Jazeera visited Mochi Gate.

Ammad Ali, a wholesaler, said he ordered more than 600,000 kites in January, supplying 500,000 to retailers and keeping 100,000 for his own shop.

“We have sold out the medium and large-sized kite completely, while we still have around a few hundred left of the small-sized kites,” he said.

“Thank God, the business has been incredible,” he added with a smile.

But many prospective buyers remained frustrated. Some accused traders of hoarding and said the government had failed to regulate prices.

Ali Ahmad, a 19-year-old mobile repair technician, said he had visited the market for three days without buying anything.

Kite string isn’t available in the regular market any more, he said. “What is still available is being sold in black, and is very substandard quality,” he said.

He added that a set of two one-kilometre string rolls was selling for more than 14,000 rupees ($50), compared with a typical price of about 4,000 rupees ($14).

Sheikh, from the kite-flying association, blamed the shortage on what he described as the government’s “abundance of caution”, saying manufacturing was permitted only in January.

“We have been in the conversation with the government for months, but they decided that since it is returning after almost two decades, they allowed manufacturing only last month. Naturally, the producers in Lahore were unable to meet the demand,” he said.

Authorities said strict oversight was essential. They issued licences to 350 manufacturers in Lahore, along with 536 sellers and 127 trader groups.

The aim, officials said, was close monitoring of production and sales to prevent accidents.

Aurangzeb said the government ran extensive awareness campaigns. Traffic police installed more than 1.4 million safety rods on motorcycles to reduce the risk posed by kite strings. The idea: as a rider drives forward, a string sagging dangerously low hits the rod, instead of the driver.

“The aim is simple celebrate Basant safely, responsibly and within the law,” she said.

Future of Basant

As Lahore witnesses a cultural revival, hotels report occupancy rates nearing 95 percent, with remaining rooms priced at three to four times their usual rates.

Airfares have also surged. Return tickets from Karachi to Lahore, typically between 40,000 ($143) and 50,000 rupees ($178), climbed to more than 110,000 rupees ($392) in early February.

Amjad Parvez, a former Punjab University professor and veteran kite flyer who has written extensively on Basant’s history and kite design, praised the government for reviving the festival but urged it to preserve its essence.

“This festival was all about joy for everybody, regardless of their class or social status. Kite flying, in fact, was a great equaliser because of the skill that was required to be able to fly the kite well, and this should be the most important thing,” he said.

Abdul Mustaqeem, 30, who works in the transport sector, echoed the concern. He said the “gentrification and commodification” of Basant had dampened his enthusiasm.

“I have been a big kite flyer, but look at the way it is being promoted, as if this is meant for the elites of the society, and not us. They are now trying to rent our roofs and come to our side of town just because they want to be seen participating in Basant, which was our thing, but because of this, the prices have shot up,” he said.

Still, Mustaqeem acknowledged the government’s move as positive. If the festival passes without incident, he hopes it could pave the way for year-round kite flying.

Kolkata, India – Pankaj Chadha has been running a steel manufacturing unit in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, for the past four decades.

The 65-year-old told Al Jazeera that his company exports products mostly to the United States and Mexico, where they are used in various industries.

The recent spike in tariffs in both countries, however, has come as a crushing blow for Chadha. Before the tariffs, he had sales of roughly $5m and $8m to the US and Mexico, respectively. But those have since been halved.

“I have lost 50 percent of my business in Mexico and the US since the tariffs came into effect. It is a severe blow to my business as I was focusing on Mexico after the US tariffs, but the future looks bleak there also now,” he said.

US President Donald Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on India in August and soon tacked on another 25 percent as punishment for its continuing purchase of Russian oil, which, he said, was helping to fund Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Now, within months of those punishing tariffs devastating businesses and jobs across industries in India, including diamond cutting, shrimp farming, and carpet manufacturing, businesses are dealing with equally high tariffs from Mexico, a double whammy, they say.

On January 1, Mexico implemented steep import tariffs ranging from 5 percent to 50 percent on more than 1,400 products from non-free trade nations, including India, Brazil, China, South Korea, Russia, Indonesia and Thailand.

Mexico has free trade agreements (FTAs) with more than 50 countries, including the US, Canada, Japan, and countries in the European Union, Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America.

The North American nation contends that the tariffs have been hiked to boost domestic production, address trade imbalances, and safeguard local employment.

However, Indian businesses have put it down to Mexico safeguarding itself from US wrath over trans-shipment and supply-chain diversion – issues that businesses from countries like China, which are dealing with high US tariffs, can undertake.

Such practices could be used by the US against Mexico in the upcoming review of the trade pact the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. And this could push Mexico to align its tariff policy with US sensitivities.

The steep hike, however, has the Indian business community worried about its future, especially after years of investments in building those supply chains.

Chadha describes the Mexican tariffs as more disheartening than the ones slapped on by the US, which, Trump said this week, will be lowered to 18 percent at some point, though it’s not clear when.

“The US tariffs were also imposed on our competitors,” said Chadha. “But Mexican tariffs are uneven as they have been implemented on only non-FTA nations, which has put us at a complete disadvantage with our competitors, who have an FTA with Mexico.”

To help alleviate some of the pain, the Indian government in its annual budget, presented on February 1, allowed the manufacturing units in special economic zones (SEZs) to sell a limited portion of their output to domestic buyers at concessional duty rates. Such sales typically attract the high tariff that is imposed on imports of these products, including textiles and leather goods.

The move is an attempt to address drop in demand that these exports-focused manufacturing units have been hit by on account of the punishing US tariffs.

Mexican blow

India exported goods worth $5.6bn to Mexico in 2024, the latest full year data available, led by vehicles and components and followed by electronic equipment. It imported goods worth $4.07bn in that period, with oil and mineral fuels being the lead imports.

India’s steel exports are facing the steepest hike of 50 percent, followed by auto and auto components that have been hit by 35 percent tariffs.

Even labour-intensive sectors like garments and ceramics will face tariffs from 25 percent to 35 percent. The plastic, aluminium and chemicals industries have been affected by tariffs ranging from 5 percent to 50 percent.

The decision has drawn severe criticism from affected countries and industry groups, while China has formally protested by raising concerns about higher consumer prices and supply-chain disruption.

India has so far warned of “appropriate action for the unilateral” tariff hike by Mexico.

Ajay Srivastava, founder of Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), told Al Jazeera that India is likely to focus on export diversification, treating the tariff hike as another sign of accelerating erosion of global trade rules rather than a dispute to be fought bilaterally.

The automobile sector, which has a strong market in Mexico, has been badly affected by the tariff hike.

Indian automobile companies exported passenger vehicles worth around $938.35m and motorcycles valued at $390.25m in the financial year ending March 31, 2025.

Even the auto components, which are predominantly used in vehicles meant for export to the US, have been slapped with tariffs of 35 percent, pointed out Vinnie Mehta, director-general of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA).

Last year, India exported auto components worth $835m to Mexico.

“Undoubtedly, the exports are clearly suffering due to the tariffs by the US, and the addition of Mexico has created a new challenge. The visible impact would be clear after the end of the second fiscal cycle in March,” Mehta told Al Jazeera.

The automobile industry, however, is shifting gears and pinning its hopes on a strong domestic demand driven by a recent reduction in India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 28 percent to 18 percent, a government move to soften the US tariff blow.

For now, various industry bodies have written to the government to sign a preferential trade agreement with Mexico to provide quick relief for the Indian business sector.

Ajay Sahai, director-general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), has, however, called the tariff hikes a push for the industry to increase domestic demand and look for diversification.