The Language of Kites

“Even the quality of my kites is unmatched,” he says, showing an unblemished kite that is at least five years old. The bamboo sticks that hold the kite upright are dark brown in colour with splashes of black. He keeps the sticks dipped in oil for several days before using them. “The older they are, the faster they fly and the more manageable they become. More importantly, this treatment removes the risk of termites. I even apply a thin layer of oil on the kite paper. How do you think, my kites could fly when it was snowing in Russia?” says Daraaz, who has also trained his children in the art. The gum used for pasting the designs is also made at home. The mix contains a bit of copper sulphate, which kills germs, he claims.

It takes about two days to make a single medium-sized kite, which can fetch upto Rs 150. Daraaz hardly feels threatened by the advent of the cheaper Chinese kites in the market. “Kite lovers would never buy those. They are so heavy that unless there is a storm, they would not fly. Meri patenge akadti nahin hai. Aap kuch bolo, yeh kuch aur karen, to aapko gussa ayega na (My kites are not stubborn. If you want them to go in one direction and they go in another, you will be angry, right?),” says Daraaz, explaining the language of kite-flying. Apart from selling kites in exhibitions organised by the government, he takes orders from kite-flying clubs from Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which he frequents to participate in kite-flying tournaments. “Each member keeps at least 500 kites in stock. They don’t buy one or two kites at a time,” he says. But then sales are not regular and it is a low-paying profession.

Daraaz learnt the craft from his father. At the time, he liked flying kites more than making them — perhaps, he still does. “My father used to spank me for not helping him out. At times, he would stop giving me money to buy kites. I would then make kites using newspapers and broomsticks,” he says. But the childhood pranks didn’t last long. When he was just 10 years old, his father passed away and he was forced to shoulder the responsibility of the family, but kite-flying remained close to his heart.

Eight years ago, another calamity struck. Tired of frequent coughing bouts, Daraaz visited AIIMS and was diagnosed of throat cancer. Afraid of losing whatever work he was getting, he didn’t seek help from anybody, instead he sold off the shop and house he had inherited from his father in old Delhi, he says, a little hesitantly. “Guzara ho jata hai (I manage to make a living),” he says, but he is constantly looking for work, and sells kites from home.

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