I was born in Pakistan but moved to England, UK, with my family when I was ten. I grew up and studied in England. I qualified as a Teacher and taught in London, New York and Tokyo. I met my wife Ava (Swiss Italian) in Tokyo and we married in London and moved to live in the southern part of Switzerland.
We have two adopted children from mother Teresa of Calcutta, a boy Jaipal 18 and a girl Savitha 14.
I flew kites as a child in Pakistan and was, like most kids, crazy about fighter kites (like in the movie the Kite Runner). So in a way flying kites was a birthright. But after having moved to the UK I forgot all about kites until I moved to Tokyo to teach in 1982. There a whole new world opened up for me and my love of kites was rekindled. I was amazed at the artistry, craftsmanship and sheer beauty of traditional Japanese kites.
I was lucky to be able to have as my mentor during my three years there the late Nishibayashi who was a pioneer and master of light wind kites and his famous Fish Fighter kite. Mr. Doi introduced me to the world of centipede kites and Eiji O-Hashi and Akira Ishizaki to that of long train kites.
I of course also met many other wonderful kite fliers who willingly shared their knowledge with me, not least of all Mr. Modegi-san of the Japanese Kite Museum. In this way I got into making mainly three types of kites: Light wind kites using plastic and scotch tape, Long Train Kites, and intricate centipede Kites (thanks to Mr. Doi of Tokyo). I still make these kites today. The light wind kites fly when other kites do not.
I am mostly known for my long kite train kites and my centipede kites. I love working with bamboo and enjoyed making centipede kites. But I didn’t want to repeat the same traditional designs and wanted mostly to make kites that would appeal to children and were in a sense ironic and also humorous. So I started making derivations of centipede kites. My first kite was a pig’s head with salami disks; the next was a Hot Dog, and so on…
I am currently working on a new Pizza centipede kite.
It normally takes me about 1-2 years to make one kite. I have to make them in my spare time which is getting less and less every year and of course the kites are quite intricate and time consuming to complete.
I have also built many long train kites. My last one is 650 meters long and I have flown it for the last two years at the Niagara International kite Festival.
I am now working on another long train kite for light winds.
I get a lot of satisfaction not from only making and flying my kites but meeting wonderful people all over the world through them. If you were to ask me the most important reason as to why I make kites I would say that it is the joy of sharing them with adults but especially kids. To watch them enjoy my work and appreciate my efforts.
