At this time of year, Goa and Mumbai's streets are lined with vendors selling handcrafted, colourful akash kandils, dancing in the wind. Paper lantern making is an age-old craft that is practised in many South East Asian countries, where using lanterns during estive times is a longstanding custom. For instance, paper lanterns are well-known in China.
In India, street stalls selling beautiful kandils begin to appear in markets in Goa and Mumbai around Diwali, and they continue to do so until the Gregorian New Year. If you're in Mumbai, you must go to Mahim West's L J Road, where there are many pop-up shops selling these exquisite handcrafted lanterns.
