KOCHI: It is a usual scene in Northern India during the month of January to see colourful beauties called kites adorning the sky. But with the coming of a club called ‘Team Kerala- GOC’, three years back, kite flying has been made popular among people of Kerala as well. The Team Kerala GOC which was started with the aim of popularising kite-flying as a healthy sport has been successful by being part of various kite festivals across the country. Team Kerala- GOC, a kite enthusiasts club initiated by Kite Life Foundation (KLF) an NGO have a new ambition. To get into the Guinness Book of World Records. “At the moment, US holds the record of having made the biggest kite which is 70-80 ft. They have made their country’s flag,” says Rajesh Nair, founder member of Team Kerala GOC.The kite that the club is planning to make aims to surpass all the barriers of measurements and flying techniques of kites. “We are aiming to make a 1500ft big kite where we will be using bamboo. Meticulous applique work depicting the whole of Kerala culture will be the theme of this kite. It will have all the flavours of Kerala like Theyyam, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, musical instruments like udukku veena and the like,” says Rajesh Nair whose team introduced the 10ft Theyyam kite at a kite festival organised in Thrissur in February. “Kite as a sports has plenty of scope in tourism. Lots of people in the world love flying kites. We have enough resources and manpower to make kites and if Kerala’s tourism industry exploits it further, huge amount of profit can be made out of this kite sports,” says Rajesh who has been flying kites for the past 25 years. The team says that it would take them more than 300 hours to finish this giant kite which has been planned to be made in ripstop nylon, the material usually used for making parachutes.The team comprising more than 25 members across the state apart from this big plan, has many other things happening. They regularly conduct coastal cleanup in association with Indian Coast Guard, SHGs, Kudumbashree etc. “Every year we clean the beaches of Kochi, Calicut, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur and Aluva,” says Rajesh. They were also a part of Jeevadhara project where the KLF implemented seven units in six govt/taluk hospitals in Ernakulam district to provide safe and clean drinking water.“’Dahajalam’, a project to provide safe drinking water to 40 government schools is another upcoming project of ours,” says Rajesh.Seeing the number of kids and people interested in kite flying the ‘Team Kerala GOC’ regularly organise workshops to teach kite making and kite flying. “Kids can promote this sport really well in the future. So if we teach them the art now, they will carry forward this fine sport,” adds Rajesh.
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