THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Balloons. Floating bubbles of joy. The must-have for parties. The sight of which brightens all faces, both young and old. But could one do more with these colourful creations?
This was the question that prodded K K Shijina 10 years ago. Driven by a desire to create something beyond conventional party decorations, she stumbled into the magical world of balloon art, a not-so-common field.
Over the years, she developed her skills by watching online tutorials and adapting techniques, eventually creating her unique brand of balloon artistry. Today, Shijina is the recipient of the Best Ballon Artist Award instituted by Rotary International, and the Yuva Prathibha Puraskar.
What’s more? The 36-year-old’s name has already been etched in several record books, including the Asia and India Book of Records and the Magic Book of Records.
She has been entertaining many with her skills through various stage shows and television programmes. Now, she is coming with workshops for kids.
For Shijina, balloon art goes beyond entertainment. She sees it as a tool to develop essential skills in children, including hand-eye coordination, concentration, and motor skills.
“Even children with special needs can benefit from balloon art. I have seen a lot of development in the children who participated in my workshops,” she says.
Her workshop on September 29 at Schoolkutti.com Children’s Library, Elankom Gardens at Vellayambalam, specially designed for children in the age group of six to 15 years, aims to encourage creativity and reduce screen time.
“Here, children can learn to create their own designs, from flowers to animals and more, using balloons,” explains Dhanya R Nair, the workshop coordinator. “Our ultimate goal is to make them happy and also reduce their screen time.”
Shijina’s dedication to the craft has allowed her to develop balloon installations and sculptures, recreate famous paintings, and for the first time in Asia, build balloon dresses. It’s the latter that helped etch her name in the Asian Book of Records.
However, popularising balloon art has not been easy. She shares, “Balloon art is pretty popular in other countries. But here, not many people are familiar with it. That makes it a bit difficult to get people to sign up for workshops. But once they do, they discover a fun new hobby.” She always remains optimistic and continues to use social media and other platforms to spread awareness about balloon art.
She explains that balloon art is not just for kids, but opens up a world of possibilities for adults as well.
“These days, people are celebrating every event in a big way, and balloons play an essential part. Learning balloon art can make the decorations stand out rather than just sticking balloons on the wall like everyone else. It adds a unique touch that catches people’s attention,” Shijina says.
She also stresses that the balloons she uses for workshops and decorations are completely biodegradable. “They are made from natural rubber.”