KOCHI: When questioned if flying kites was an art or sport, Rajesh Nair quips, “When I make a kite, it’s art, and when flown, it’s a sport.” Renowned kite enthusiast and founder of the KiteLife Foundation, Rajesh Nair is far from those who buy kites and fly them. Rather, he fashions them.
He builds one from scratch, using fabric, and inculcates the heritage of Kerala on the kite, thereby subconsciously being an ambassador of the state.Rajesh is all geared up to fly a kite named ‘Pralaya Mukham’ at the 14th edition of the Borneo International Kite Festival, an acclaimed kite festival in Malaysia. The festival has been annually held since 2005 for five days at Bintulu, a seaside town in Malaysia that has consistently attracted a lot of tourists.
Known for collectively bringing international kite aficionados together, the festival is conducted during the last week of September.A regular at the kite fest, Rajesh’s ‘Pralaya Mukham’ showcases the resilience and spirit of the state during the deluge. “The kite is two-faced and depicts the flood in various phases,” Rajesh says. “The red portion indicates danger, owing to the red alerts issued in different districts during the flood. The black shades portray the aftermath of the floods; when people had lost absolutely everything they had owned. The centre portion is vaccum; denoting those who’re helpless, anticipating the next stage,” he continues.
A strong advocate of cultures, Rajesh never misses an opportunity to showcase them. Legendary king Mahabali, nettipattom, theyyam are some of his kites that have drawn much attention.In his words, his kites are conventionally redefined to bring in an unconventional mode of design.Nonetheless, kite-flying is rather an uncommon past-time in Kerala. “Conventionally, ours is not a kite-flying state. Those who do, occasionally fly kites during Onam. However, KiteLife Foundation has been conducting workshops across the state with much success,” Rajesh says.
Nevertheless, Rajesh does not view kite-flying as a leisure activity. According to him, there is more to it than fun.“My priority is to communicate about my country, my state and its cultural folklore through the kite. Consequently, I consider the size, colour, aesthetics, and the aerodynamics of the kite when I build one. My kites are rather large, are made from fabric, and have bold and vibrant colours,” he says.
Rajesh has leaned towards kites ever since he could say, ‘K for kite’. However, unlike other kids, his love for art that touches the sky didn’t end there.
Rather he worked towards it and can compose anything into a kite. His interests are relatively alluring; creating giant bubble solutions and boomerangs add much intrigue.A CSR professional, Rajesh had aspired to be an aeronautical engineer. He may not be flying or designing planes now, but he sure is living those dreams of his through kites.