The Kite Makers. - The New Indian Express

Indian Express Chennai Edn. June 5, 2018

CHENNAI:  If you don’t have the ability to imagine then what is the fun of living,” said Rajesh Nair(44), organiser of the ‘The Art of Kites’ workshop, that was conducted  over the weekend in Palladium mall.
Rajesh started flying kites at the age of six. His passion for flying objects motivated him to choose a career on the same lines. “Making a kite is always fun. Everyone can make it but my workshops focus on learning to make a professional kite,” he said.

There is a difference between general kites and the professional kites. General kites are easily available everywhere but the professional kites are difficult to spot. Professional kites are often produced by the Kite Life Foundation, where you get kites in other shapes apart from the basic quadrilateral shape. “Tell me any shape and I can make a kite in that shape,” added Rajesh, who is also a CSR Consultant in Cochin and its operations in Chennai and Pune. Kites can also be made with bamboos and without sticks. Paragliding and flights are all inspired by kites. He wants to encourage kids to fly kites, which is a healthy practice. “Outdoor games improve your imagination, widens your vision and enhances your thinking ability. It brings in good and positive thoughts unlike the electronic gadgets that restrict your thinking to just a cubical space,” he said.

The only way to make people aware of flying kites is through workshops and kite festivals. “There are only a few kite festivals organised in Chennai as Supreme Court has passed the verdict to not fly kites. The threads used for flying kites are coated with glass powder which can cause injuries to the users,” he explained adding that the kites he makes do not have any kind of sticks for support and threads are made of cotton and hence won’t hurt anybody.

Around 100 people registered for the event. They were given the required materials and instructions to make their own kite. Rajesh has previously conducted over 651 workshops. Harini Venkatram (34), one of the participants at the event said, “Kids are never given the right exposure to kite making and it is a good diversion for people who are addicted to their mobile phones and computers. I really wish more such workshops are held.”