By Indrawattie Natram

– Adit the kite maker enjoys making children happy at Easter time

TWENTY-SEVEN-YEAR-OLD Adit Ramanand of Queenstown Public Road in Region Two believes that anyone can develop their hobby into a business once they have the ability to look at things in a positive way. Ramanand who has been a kite maker for over two years related that ever since he started making kites, his passion for the hobby grew.

“It brings me joy to make kites and I look forward to the Easter Holiday in doing so. I earn at the same time I am making kids happy,” Ramanand related. The father of one, who is a labourer by profession, said that every year he invests his time in neatly designing and making colourful kites.

Although he loves being in the construction industry, he wouldn’t trade his kite skills for anything. He told the Pepperpot Magazine that he inherited the trade after years of practice and also from his childhood days when he would travel miles to acquire raw materials with his friends.

“I started this small business because of my love for making kites. I enjoy seeing smiles on people’s faces when they make purchases. People always commend me for my neatness. I take pride in making my kites” the kite maker said.

Ramanand’s kite sizes range from two feet, 22 inches and 18 inches with prices from $1200-$700. He also invests his time in creating new patterns and designs and even made one with the colours of Guyana’s Flag.

The kite maker said the first stage starts with designing and framing and he would usually be assisted by his neighbour, Shazo Mohamed, to paste them when orders accumulate. He usually sources his raw materials from nearby sawmills, then he would shape, and create his own designs making beautiful kites. Other raw materials such as bamboo and local “gamma cherries” are sourced naturally. This energetic father of one said he usually creates 15 kites per day but his biggest challenge is making the stars.

Shazo Mohammed related that she also enjoys assisting her neighbour in making the kites. The kites are being sold right in front of the kite maker’s home in Essequibo. He hangs them onto his fence and passersby would usually stop and make purchases.

Ramanand said that although the ‘bird kite’ remains on the local market and persons are buying that more, he remains optimistic that persons would still appreciate the natural skill of making a kite from scratch. He also intends to make the smallest kite and a biggest kite for Easter Monday. He said the response thus far has been encouraging compared to previous years and that he looks forward to more sales.