Shoppers browse vibrant kites at Lalkuan market in New Delhi on 12 August 2026, three days before Independence Day, as the market sees its annual pre-15 August footfall surge. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A vendor at Lalkuan market, New Delhi, holds up an armful of colourful kites on 12 August 2026 as traders stock up in anticipation of peak Independence Day demand on 15 August. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Buyers throng Lalkuan market in New Delhi on 12 August 2026, picking out kites in tricolour and other festive shades ahead of the 79th Independence Day celebrations on 15 August 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Customers crowd the lanes of Lalkuan market, New Delhi, on 12 August 2026, selecting kites for the traditional kite-flying festivities that mark Independence Day across the capital each year. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shoppers at Lalkuan market in New Delhi scout for the brightest kites on 12 August 2026, with traders reporting brisk sales as Independence Day weekend approaches on 15 August 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A kite seller sits surrounded by stacks of vividly coloured kites at Lalkuan market, New Delhi, on 12 August 2026, awaiting customers in the final days before Independence Day on 15 August. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Rows of brightly coloured kites are laid out for sale at Lalkuan market, New Delhi, on 12 August 2026, with traders curating a wide variety of shapes and sizes for Independence Day shoppers. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Stalls at Lalkuan market, New Delhi, are piled high with kites in assorted colours and patterns on 12 August 2026, catering to the seasonal surge in demand that precedes every Independence Day celebration. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A kite vendor fans out a colourful spread of kites for prospective buyers at Lalkuan market, New Delhi, on 12 August 2026, as traders compete for business in the run-up to Independence Day on 15 August. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
An array of kites in varied hues and designs fills the stalls of Lalkuan market, New Delhi, on 12 August 2026, offering buyers a wide selection ahead of the annual Independence Day kite-flying tradition. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Kite stalls at Lalkuan market, New Delhi, attract steady footfall on 12 August 2026, with sellers offering kites in tricolour palettes and festive patterns to mark the 79th Independence Day on 15 August 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
The lanes of Lalkuan market, New Delhi, are lined with kites in vivid festive colours on 12 August 2026, as sellers ready their stocks for the final pre-Independence Day shopping rush expected on 14 August. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A customer examines colourful kites at Lalkuan market, New Delhi, on 12 August 2026, choosing from a wide selection ahead of Independence Day celebrations — a period when kite flying becomes a rooftop ritual across the capital. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shoppers pack Lalkuan market, New Delhi, on 12 August 2026, snapping up kites in anticipation of the city-wide kite-flying celebrations that accompany Independence Day on 15 August 2026 each year. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)