‘I have collected nearly 4,000 kites,’ says international kite flyer Nitesh Lakum

Nitesh C. Lakum, an international kite flyer from Surat in Gujarat, was the cynosure of all eyes at the ONGC-MRPL Mangaluru International Kite Festival at Tannirbhavi beach on Saturday.

Nitesh C. Lakum, an international kite flyer from Surat in Gujarat, was the cynosure of all eyes at the ONGC-MRPL Mangaluru International Kite Festival at Tannirbhavi beach on Saturday.

He flew series of ‘rooster kites’ in a row (which were aerofoil kites). He also dressed up as a rooster.

Uriye, the fiery rooster of Tulunadu, was the mascot of the eighth edition of the kite festival organised by Team Mangalore. It symbolised courage, vibrancy and cultural pride. The kites flown by Mr. Lakum reflected the spirit of the mascot.

Mr. Lakum, an electrical engineer, told The Hindu that he has a collection of 3,960 kites from different countries. He collected these over 22 years. “I have flown to 24 countries to participate in international kite festivals,” he said.

Mr. Lakum said that he won a gold medal at Weifang International Kite Festival, China, in 2019. In addition, he won the bronze medal at the same festival in 2017.

“I have four remote-controlled kites which can be flown in a radius of 5 km,” he said, adding that he brought 60 kites to be flown in the Mangaluru kite festival. The flyer also has a 15 m-long ‘shark kite’ which could be folded and carried in one’s pocket.

Mr. Lakum said that he flew ‘HMPV virus kites’ in the Ahmedabad International Kite Festival on January 11 this year to create awareness on how to take precautions against the virus, he said. “My daughter Dhwani Lakum gave me the idea,” he said.