疫情期間意大利人在陽臺(tái)上放聲歌唱，而印度人則熱衷于放風(fēng)箏。據(jù)報(bào)道，往年的風(fēng)箏淡季在今年反而成了旺季，放風(fēng)箏成為了隔離在家的印度人為數(shù)不多的消遣活動(dòng)。

Mohammad Ahmed has been selling kites for the past 11 years, and he says he has never seen it so busy.

穆罕默德·艾哈邁德已經(jīng)賣了11年風(fēng)箏，他表示從未見過生意如此繁忙。

Sales at his shop in Delhi have soared over the past six months - thanks to coronavirus.

過去六個(gè)月他在德里的風(fēng)箏店銷量大漲，這都是拜疫情所賜。

Mr Ahmed says that most days since India went into lockdown on 25 March he has restocked his shop with kites worth a total 150,000 rupees, only for them to sell out by the evening.

艾哈邁德說，自從印度在3月25日實(shí)行封鎖以后，他每天都要補(bǔ)充總價(jià)15萬盧比（約合人民幣13987元）的風(fēng)箏庫存，但大多數(shù)時(shí)候總是不到天黑就賣光了。

"I am tired of taking phone calls," he says. "Suddenly everybody has needed kites. I am still getting calls from all over the country - Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan… There is still so much demand that I am not able to fulfil it."

他說：“我接電話都接煩了。突然之間每個(gè)人都需要風(fēng)箏。我還在不停地接到來自全國各地的電話，馬哈拉施特拉邦、泰米爾納德邦、拉賈斯坦邦……需求量依然這么大，我都沒法滿足了?！?/p>

While Italians sang songs from their balconies and windows to boost morale when they were stuck at home due to Covid-19 restrictions, Indians flew kites from their terraces and roof tops.

由于疫情限制措施而不得不待在家里的意大利人在陽臺(tái)上和窗前唱歌來鼓舞士氣，而印度人則在自家露臺(tái)和屋頂上放風(fēng)箏。

Ahsan Khan, a seller in Mumbai, says, "The period between April and August is usually the leanest [for kite sales], but this year, I have sold about 500,000 kites [during that time]."

孟買的一名賣家阿赫?！ず贡硎荆骸八脑碌桨嗽缕陂g通常是風(fēng)箏銷售的淡季，但今年我卻（在這一期間）賣出了約50萬只風(fēng)箏?！?/p>

He adds that neighbouring Pakistan had also caught the kite-flying bug during its lockdown. "I am even getting calls from Karachi and Lahore in Pakistan, from people offering to pay me double the usual amount."

他還說道，鄰國巴基斯坦也在封鎖期間掀起了放風(fēng)箏的熱潮。“我甚至接到了來自巴基斯坦卡拉奇和拉合爾的電話，那里的人們提出用雙倍價(jià)錢買我的風(fēng)箏。”

Kite-flying has been a popular pastime in India for centuries, with historians saying that it was introduced to the country by Chinese travellers.

幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以來，放風(fēng)箏在印度一直是廣受歡迎的消遣活動(dòng)，歷史學(xué)家稱放風(fēng)箏是由中國旅人引進(jìn)的。

It is however, usually a seasonal activity in India. In most parts of the country sales peak around the festival of Makar Sankranti - celebrated on 14 January to mark the beginning of spring and harvest season.

不過，在印度，放風(fēng)箏通常是一種季節(jié)性活動(dòng)。在印度的多數(shù)地區(qū)，風(fēng)箏銷量會(huì)在馬卡爾·?？颂m蒂節(jié)前后達(dá)到高峰。1月14日慶祝的馬卡爾·?？颂m蒂節(jié)是為了紀(jì)念春天和收獲季節(jié)的開始。

The tradition of kite-flying has long been associated with this festival, with the western state of Gujarat organising an international kite festival on the same day.

長期以來，放風(fēng)箏的傳統(tǒng)一直和這個(gè)節(jié)日相關(guān)聯(lián)，印度西部的古吉拉特邦會(huì)在同一天舉行國際風(fēng)箏節(jié)。

Preparations for this begin months earlier, with kite-makers from other parts of the country going to Gujarat, and the city of Mumbai, just to the south, to lend their expertise in making India's traditional brightly-coloured paper kites.

國際風(fēng)箏節(jié)的籌備工作在數(shù)月前就會(huì)開始，來自印度其他地區(qū)的風(fēng)箏制作者會(huì)聚集到古吉拉特邦和古吉拉特邦以南的孟買市，貢獻(xiàn)自己的才藝來制作印度傳統(tǒng)的色彩鮮艷的紙風(fēng)箏。

Some other festivals, like Basant Panchami and Pahela Baishakh, keep up the demand in northern India till April, after which sales start to fall. They then recover just before 15 August when India celebrates its Independence Day.

其他的一些節(jié)日，比如知識(shí)節(jié)和孟歷新年，會(huì)讓印度北部對(duì)風(fēng)箏的需求高峰持續(xù)到四月份，之后銷量就開始下降。風(fēng)箏銷量在8月15日印度慶祝獨(dú)立日前又會(huì)重新開始上漲。

But this year, the coronavirus lockdown has kept the kite industry very busy during its usual lean months. Even after the lockdown began being eased in stages from June to the end of August, children, mostly boys, kept the demand high as the schools remained shut.

但在今年，疫情封鎖卻讓風(fēng)箏行業(yè)在往年的淡季異常繁忙。即使在六月到八月底的這段時(shí)間，封鎖措施開始放松，但由于學(xué)校依然關(guān)閉，孩子們（以男孩為主）依然讓風(fēng)箏需求量居高不下。

"You couldn't go out, you couldn't take your children to the park, so people resorted to kite-flying to pass their time," says Shahida Rehman, who manages a kite business with her son in Mumbai.

在孟買和兒子一起經(jīng)營風(fēng)箏生意的沙希達(dá)·拉赫曼說：“你不能出去，也不能帶孩子去公園，所以人們只能放風(fēng)箏來消磨時(shí)間?！?/p>

Although in one or two India cities and towns kite flying ended up being banned during the lockdown because authorities were concerned that neighbours all going out on their terraces could transmit the virus to each other, overall it was allowed and sales boomed.

盡管在封鎖期間有一兩個(gè)印度城鎮(zhèn)禁止放風(fēng)箏，原因是當(dāng)局擔(dān)心鄰居們都跑到露臺(tái)上會(huì)相互傳播病毒，但總體上還是允許放風(fēng)箏的，風(fēng)箏銷量也非常好。

The Indian kite-making sector was said to be worth $85m in 2018. While it exports around the world, sales are dominated by the vast home market.

印度的風(fēng)箏制造業(yè)據(jù)稱在2018年價(jià)值達(dá)8500萬美元（約合人民幣5.8億元）。盡管出口到世界各地，但本土市場(chǎng)的銷量還是占多數(shù)。

But while it is boys and young men who do most of the flying, the industry is heavily dependent on women workers. Tens of thousands of them, often accompanied by their children and other family members, work from their homes around the country, cutting, crafting and designing kites.

雖然放風(fēng)箏的大多是男孩和年輕男子，但該行業(yè)嚴(yán)重依賴于女性勞工。印度各地?cái)?shù)以萬計(jì)的女性在自己家中（往往帶著孩子和其他家庭成員）剪裁、制作和設(shè)計(jì)風(fēng)箏。

Hiba is one such manufacturer. She can make up to 50 kites per day with her sister at their home in the city of Bareilly, some 250km east of Delhi. The big rise in demand during the lockdown has boosted their income, as both the sales and prices of kites rose.

伊巴就是這樣的一個(gè)制作者。她每天在巴雷利市（德里以東大約250公里處）的家中和妹妹一起可以制作出多達(dá)50只風(fēng)箏。封鎖期間需求量大漲增加了她們收入，因?yàn)轱L(fēng)箏的銷量和價(jià)格都上升了。

The cost of a simple paper and wood kite doubled from 10 rupees to 20 rupees.

用紙和木頭制成的簡(jiǎn)單風(fēng)箏的成本為10盧比到20盧比。

Mohammad Ashraf, a kite-seller in Bareilly, says that despite not being able to open his store in the early, most strict stages of the lockdown, he sold more than 200,000 rupees worth of kite before August.

巴雷利的一名風(fēng)箏賣家穆罕默德·阿什拉夫表示，盡管在早期封鎖措施最嚴(yán)格的時(shí)候他不能開店，但他在八月前賣出了價(jià)值超20萬盧比的風(fēng)箏。

"This year changed everything," he says. "It has been a extra income bonanza."

“今年一切都改變了，”他說，“這是一筆意外之財(cái)?！?/p>

bonanza[b??n?nz?]: n. 帶來好運(yùn)之事；幸運(yùn)

Mr Khan says that sales have been led by India's smaller cities and towns, as that is where more people have individual terraces or roof tops. This is in contrast to the big cities, like Mumbai, where most people live in flats and have to share such outdoor areas. These communal spaces were officially out of bounds during the lockdown.

阿赫?！ず贡硎?，印度的小城鎮(zhèn)銷量最高，因?yàn)槟抢锔嗳藫碛歇?dú)立的露臺(tái)或屋頂。相比之下，在孟買這樣的大城市，多數(shù)人都住在公寓里，必須共享戶外空間。這些公共空間在封鎖期間都是官方禁止開放的。

Like all countries, India may now be at risk of returning to lockdown. This is especially true after the nation reported almost two million new cases in August, the biggest monthly number globally since the pandemic started.

和所有國家一樣，印度現(xiàn)在可能面臨著重新封鎖的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，尤其是在印度八月報(bào)告了近200萬新增病例后，這是疫情暴發(fā)以來全球最高的單月新增病例數(shù)量。

While the health and safety of the populace is obviously the main concern, kite flying is likely to remain a popular distraction for a great many people if they are forced to stay at home again.

盡管大眾的健康和安全顯然是關(guān)注焦點(diǎn)，但是如果人們?cè)俅伪黄却诩依?，放風(fēng)箏很可能會(huì)繼續(xù)成為一項(xiàng)流行的消遣活動(dòng)。

英文來源：BBC

翻譯&編輯：丹妮