Basir Beria, 47, uses a spool to reel in his handmade kite string -- cotton thread coated with glass -- while flying a fighter kite in front of his store in North Hollywood. The expert kite flyer is from Kabul, Afganistan, where kite fighting has a long tradition. Beria, who came to the United States in 1984, served as kite master on the recent film “The Kite Runner.” (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Basir Beria’s fighter kite soars into the sky over North Hollywood. Afghan and Pakistani immigrants have brought their tradition of kite fighting with them to the United States. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Basir Beria behind a homemade fighter kite. He made his first kite as a child in his homeland of Afghanistan and quickly became immersed in Kabul’s culture of kite fighting. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
Basir Beria at his convenience store in North Hollywood. A skilled kite fighter, his dream is to one day make a living just making and selling kites. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)
