Today’s Enlightening Entertainment will be presented in Dari and English, with subtitles in Arabic, Aulacese (Vietnamese), Chinese, English, French, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

Welcome, spirited viewers. The beauty of a kite dancing in the sky is a sight to behold. In Afghanistan, flying kites is more than just a favorite pastime but a time-honored, popular cultural tradition. A soaring kite is like the carefree spirit of the Afghan heart. Today we will meet a fabulous kite master from Afghanistan, Mr. Basir Beria, who lives in Los Angeles, USA. He devotes his free time to teaching others how to fly a kite.

His fine handmade kites are exhibited at the Kite Museum in Washington DC, USA. In addition, Mr. Beria helped to create the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Hollywood film, “The Kite Runner,” which showed Mr. Beria’s splendid kites and thus introduced the world to this Afghan sport and culture. In his personal life, the simple act of flying a kite could relieve his deepest sorrow and give him peace. Mr. Basir Beria has a pure, undivided love for kites.

You see, there are so many things. It’s a meditation. It kind of makes you to calm down. You take in a breath, and you look in the sky. You’re just in your own world. I dance with my kites. I dance and I connect myself, every move with my kite. Kites, it’s going to give you that energy, and you give them that energy back. And you feel good.

Mr. Basir Beria was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. Flying kites was a main hobby for him, his brother and neighborhood friends.

If you go in the United States, open your garage, I can find a baseball bat. In Afghanistan, you end up in my garage, probably you find tissue paper, bamboo, glass, because we’re going to use that one for our kite to build. Every Afghan builds kites. Me, personally, I always say to my old friends, I eat kite, I drink kite, I sleep kite. I do everything with kites. Somehow it’s in me; I’m the luckiest one.

To the grateful, humble craftsman, the technology of the kite is a gift for the world. So is Mr. Beria’s talent. In 2006, Mr. Beria was invited by a producer of DreamWorks Pictures to help create “The Kite Runner,” a 2007 film by DreamWorks and Paramount Classic based on the award-winning novel of the same title by the Afghan-born writer Kahled Hosseini. Kite runners are those who run to collect prized kites that fall during a kite match, predicting from afar where they would land.

I fly a kite in the major street during the busiest crowd time. And I was surrounded with all those power lines, and they said, “Can you fly a kite from here?” I said, “Why not?” And I fly my kite from there. “How in the world you can fly a kite which is all the line and all trees and all the houses right there?” “That’s Afghan kites. They can fly from anywhere they want.”

Joining the movie crew as kite master, Mr. Beria brought 100 kites that he personally made and committed to a 15-week trip to the film set in western China, where the landscape resembles Afghanistan. Mr. Beria proceeded to teach 150 kids how to fly kites for the film’s impressive backdrop.

I did it from my heart. I hope people like the action of the kite. I don’t know about the story too much, but I involved myself to concentrate whatever it comes to the kite. Kites’ talk, whatever they’re using those little words, the kids, the right way. The way you emotionally you have to say, “Straighten your lines up!” or using those words to fit in that moment for those kids.

I have to focus the kite back in ’77. What was the shape, what was the color the people using. I’m proud to say I did it and we did it. And Marc Forster, the director of the movie, he’s happy the way we did it and everybody’s happy the way we finished it, and thanks God again for that kind of opportunity.

Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. We will find out more about kite making with Mr. Basir Beria, the great kite master from Afghanistan.

There is a word, people in United States, when they don’t like something, they said, “Go fly a kite, my friend.” (Yeah, that’s right.) For me, if somebody said, “Go fly a kite,” (It’s a blessing.) I am going to jump and I give him a hug. (Wow, that’s wonderful.) That’s how I feel about the kites. (Go fly a kite!) Go fly a kite.

Welcome back to Enlightening Entertainment. For Afghan kite master Mr. Basir Beria, training the Kashgar children in kite flying for the highly acclaimed film, “The Kite Runner,” was an unforgettable experience. However, while he was proud to walk the red carpet with his family to the film’s premiere and watch his kites soaring on the big screen, the real reward was much greater than the movie itself.

So we were practicing every day for like a month. One day, it was after a break time. Because they’re working hard too, you know. I saw a little boy, he was excited but he was running to me, he’s coming, And I was saying, I hope he doesn’t hurt himself. They call me teacher. “Mahalim, mahalim. “Teacher, teacher. Mahalim.” I said, “What’s happening, what’s happened?”

He had something in his hand. Teacher, I found something,” I said what? Look it, it’s beautiful. I said, “What is it?” He opened his hand. That stone shaped like of a kite. You see the metal bar, you see the top bow, (Wow.) the lines and shape of a kite. And I look and I was really surprised. I said, “You see, my friend, you’re a good kite flyer. You see, God gave you your trophy already. He said, “No no no no, Teacher. That’s for you. (Wow.) You’re my teacher. I bring down one for you.”

That’s for me was the highest trophy for a man can get. It was created by God. (Yes.) It was natural, (Wow.) it was given it to you, that’s a little boy, not a minister, not a president of DreamWorks. And I said, “You know what? I got my right trophy, designed by God, created by God, in the cleanliest hands is the child, the kid. That means to me a lot.

The kite was invented in China two thousand some years ago. The sport of kites, however, took kite flying to the next level with exciting matches in the sky. It originated from India long ago before becoming popular in Afghanistan.

Imagine, you are flying kites 300 feet high, and you just want to – right now, right away. It’s not electricity, it’s just line. You want to give it a left spin, spinning it to the left. How it’s going to work? You see, that’s why the cotton lines are the quickest line that can give response to the kite. If you just give him a little signal, just a little touch, the kite responds quickly.

In the Afghan kite sport, two flyers try to pull the other’s kite from the sky by wrapping one’s kite string around the opponent’s kite’s string and severing it.

The strong glass-coated cord attached to the kite holds the secret of the Afghan kite.

So this is the line that you actually use for kite flying.

Those are the lines. We call it “Taar-e-Sheesha,” which is sheesha means the glass. Glass-coated taar. It’s very simple. We grind the glass as much as possible to become like a face powder. And we cook it with rice, and there are so many little things, you know, it’s kind of secret. We mix it, we cook it, and we coat it on top of the lines.

And that’s the lines everybody in Afghanistan is using. They have their own secrets, some of them. They never share it. I share it, a little bit of it, but not all of it. I have to keep some of the secrets which I learned from a person. He was one of the best kite flyers in the Afghan society. (Wow.) World-known person.

I can’t break that, that’s very strong.

It’s an over 120-pound line.

And that line, it’s an 11-pound line. You want to see the sharpness. If you want to hold that line, I want to cut it. I want to show you how that line is going cut that line. For example…

Wow, just a few inches rubbing across.

You see, that one is not glass-coated, look at how rough it is. (Oh.) You cannot match me, my friend. (I cannot.)

Colorful kites dotting the sky in a US kite festival create a scene that brings back memories of childhood delight in Afghanistan.

Peace be upon you, cherished Father!

Peace be upon you, my son.

How are you? Cherished Dad.

Thanks my son.

It's cold weather and there is also wind blowing.

How much information do you have about kite flying? My son, I was about ten years old when I was flying kites.

Okay. Then we would go to Sakhi Festivals, Danjaba, Tahmaba, and then there we would fly kites, and compete with them, and whoever became the champion, then he was so. Yeah. Well, May God grant you health and harmony...

May He grant harmony to the whole Afghanistan…

In Afghanistan the moment a kite falls to the ground, the boys catch and take it, and here, as much as we fly it, we go and take back our kite. The sky is full of kites and occupied, everyone is happy. It’s green. May God make our country peaceful so that it’s green and in peace.

It raises the memories of youth.

I was a little boy, we got the little frame of China Great Wall. I was always thinking about it, it is so beautiful to go and fly a kite and release. Look at the landscape of that Wall. You can release it as much as you can! But I never thought it’s going to happen. Four years ago, one day, I end up right on top of the Great Wall, and flying the kite, and I said, “Oh, God!” (Wow.) You see, never give up, always there is a door, always there is an opening. Always there is hope for the Afghan people.

Thank you Mr. Basir Beria for the feelings of love, kindness, and happiness you impart in everyone through the special realm of the kites. We join in your wish that our world will come together in the same harmonious spirit of a kite festival.

I wish to every kid, and everybody in the world, to have a peaceful life. Be outside and fly a kite. As somebody says, “Go fly a kite!” give them a hug, don’t get upset. Just give them a hug and say, “Let’s go fly a kite.”

Noble viewers, we enjoyed your presence today on Enlightening Entertainment. Up next is Words of Wisdom, after Noteworthy News, here on Supreme Master Television. May your heart be forever happy and free like a flying kite.

From the King… Who reigns over kings, The Holy One blessed is He

Welcome. Naguila brings together Muslim and Jewish musicians and carries a message, the message of love and peace to the whole world.

Bless me for peace O angels of peace,

All are welcome here, all who want to hear music of our fathers, music of the synagogue.

Join us on Wednesday, July 21 and 28 for a two-part series on Enlightening Entertainment, featuring the renowned Naguila Ensemble, a Judeo-Arabic band that harmoniously blends the sacred music traditions of both cultures.

Welcome, spirited viewers.
The beauty of a kite dancing in the sky is a sight to behold. In Afghanistan, flying kites is more than just a favorite pastime but a time-honored, popular cultural tradition. A soaring kite is like the carefree spirit of the Afghan heart. Today we will meet a fabulous kite master from Afghanistan, Mr. Basir Beria, who lives in Los Angeles, USA. He devotes his free time to teaching others how to fly a kite. His fine handmade kites are exhibited at the Kite Museum in Washington DC, USA. In addition, Mr. Beria helped to create the Golden Globe and Oscar-nominated Hollywood film, “The Kite Runner,” which showed Mr. Beria’s splendid kites and thus introduced the world to this Afghan sport and culture. In his personal life, the simple act of flying a kite could relieve his deepest sorrow and give him peace. Mr. Basir Beria has a pure, undivided love for kites.

 (Interview in English)Basir(m):  
You see, there are so many things. It’s a meditation. It kind of makes you to calm down. You take in a breath, and you look in the sky.  You’re just in your own world. I dance with my kites. I dance and I connect myself,  every move with my kite. Kites, it’s going to give you that energy, and you give them that energy back. And you feel good.