Source: One India
http://living.oneindia.in/insync/pulse/2009/makar-sankaranti-gujarat-kites-uttarayan-130109.html
With Makar Sankaranti in the corner and country to celebrate it in different ways, the Hindu festival is one of the biggest and popularly celebrated in Gujarat. Uttarayan is the phase when sun travels towards the north on the celestial sphere. The starting of Uttarayan is what is called Makar Sankaranti.
It is popularly called as the kite festival where people from diverse communities participate. During Uttarayan innumerable colourful kites in different shapes and sizes dot the sky in Gujarat. People fly kites from open terraces and spaces amidst festivities and music.
Unity in diversity plays an important part with the Muslim community chiefly into the making of the kites in different hues and sizes. The Gujaratis believe that there is much more to the festival than just flying kites in the way of Hindu, Muslim harmony.
A huge number of Muslims are into the making of the kites and feel proud to be a part of the business. The festivals gets both the kite makers as well as the kite flyers busy to get started with the it Jamalpur Kite market in Ahmedabad is an excellent example for of communal harmony. The Muslim-dominated market has been making a variety of kites for decades for kite flyers.