THE KITE RUNNER Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 1

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THE KITE RUNNER KITE FLYING Kabul is filled with shops selling all manner of kite paraphernalia. Twenty-six-year-old Jawid runs such a shop in the Shur Bazaar, the kite-selling market in old Kabul. "People have been flying kites [in Afghanistan] for more than 100 years. It was banned during the Taliban. They would say that kite flying was illegal. We sell and buy from 500 to 2,000 kites every day in our shop. The Taliban banned this and used to beat children when they flew kites. Long ago, kite flying was Lowell Abellon and Barzin Akhavan in part of our national games, and my father won a The Kite Runner. Photo by Kevin Berne. trophy 25 years ago during (former Afghan President Mohammad) Daoud Khan's time." Jawid gives a tour of his shop, pointing out the spools, the various lengths of wire, and the bright kites themselves, in many different sizes, or "parcha." "This is a spool. Those are smaller ones for kids -- about 100 to 500 meters in length. Those are 4,000- to 5,000-meter spools that are used by adults. These are for kids. These are different kites. For example, this is four parcha (having four parts). There is five parcha. And that is seven parcha. That is half parcha (one of the smallest). That is farfara, which is made of plastic. And that is eight parcha (the largest)." The kites cost from 2,000 afghanis -- just a few cents -- for tiny children's kites no bigger than a magazine, to 100,000 afghanis -- just over $2 -- for large kites usually handled only by the most experienced flyers. The streets were fi lled with kite fi ghters, squinting up at the sky, trying to gain position to cut an opponent’s line. The lucky kite fi ghters had an assistant—in my case, Hassan—who held the spool and fed the line. But the real fun began when a kite was cut. That was where the runners came in. They chased the falling kite through streets until it came spiraling down in a field, or someone’s yard, on a tree, or a rooftop. And the most coveted prize was the last fallen kite of the tournament. For this, fights broke out. But Hassan was by far the greatest kite runner I’d ever seen. –Amir, The Kite Runner Jawid says he still sold kites during the days of the Taliban, but that everywhere it was done in secret. "During the Taliban, we were doing our business here, but if they found out, they would come and destroy our kites, spools, and other stuff, as they did many times. They burned our kites and other stuff, asking who the owner was. But we could not say anything, because if they knew, they would imprison us in Amribelmaroof (prison)." Winter is one of the most popular times for kite flying in Afghanistan. The winds are strong, and schools are closed because of the cold weather. While it brings mostly smiles, kite flying is also dangerous. Many people are injured when they fall from roofs chasing free kites or when they lose concentration during a heated battle. Thirty-six-year-old Sharif is flying a kite beside the dry, trash-filled bed of the Kabul River in central Kabul. He says he's been flying kites for about 20 years, always on Fridays. Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 24
THE KITE RUNNER ROSTAM AND SOHRAB Sharif recalls the glory days of kite flying in Kabul, before the Taliban. "Before the Taliban, people used to fly kites in a place called Chaman-i-Babrak [in northern Kabul], and kite flying competitions were held there. Kids, young people, and older people from all over Afghanistan and Kabul City would gather there. They used to lay wagers on fighting kites." Sharif smiles. He wants to get back to his kite flying. There is a battle to be won. - from http://www.rferl.org/content/article/1101400.html (from The Kite Runner: A Study Guide reprinted with permission from San Jose Repertory Theatre) ROSTAM AND SOHRAB The great Rostam was unaware that he had a son, Sohrab, by the princess Tahmineh. After years without any real knowledge of one another, Rostam and Sohrab faced each other in battle, fighting on opposing sides. Never having met each other face to face, Sohrab had suspicions that the man he fought may be his father. The truth was kept from father and son and, in order to protect himself, Rostam continually denied his identity to Sohrab. They fought in single combat and Rostam wrestled Sohrab to the ground, stabbing him fatally. As he lay dying, Sohrab recalled how his love for his father—the mighty Rostam— was what brought him there in the first place. Rostam, to his horror, The story of Rostam and Sohrab is one of the most famous tales from the Iranian epic The Shanameh, an epic poem written by Ferdowsi around 1000 CE. The poem is a masterpiece of the Persian language, and a source of great national pride for Iranians. The tale of Rostam and Sohrab is the favorite story of Hassan, Amir’s friend and his servant’s son. realized the truth. He saw his own jewel on the arm of Sohrab, which he had given to Tahmineh many years before and which Tahmineh had given to Sohrab before the battle, in the hope that it might protect him. But he realized the truth too late: “I that am old have killed my son. I that am strong have uprooted this mighty boy. I have torn the heart of my child, I have laid low the head of a Pehliva...My heart is sick unto death.” -from The Kite Runner: A Study Guide reprinted with permission from San Jose Repertory Theatre Artist’s rendering of the story of Rostam and Sohrab Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 25
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THE KITE RUNNER Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 1

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