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A Boy Who Wants To Fly A Kite

Updated: Jun 16, 2020


Today, the little boy wants to fly his kite. Quickly gobbling some idlis that his mom made, he wears his chappals and races from his house... his friends will be waiting on the school terrace.


Set in Lower Parel, Mumbai, the illustrations by Roshini Ganesh explore through the lens of “running boy”, the chawls and nearby areas that are a a part of the Mill history of the city.


“A Boy Who Wants To Fly A Kite” is an interventional novel. After having downloaded/printed the book, you can continue the story on the dialogue bubbles that are provided.



‘The Boy Who Wanted To Fly A Kite’ is a part of our Write Your Own City Story series. The illustrations were created as a part of a city mapping workshop by Roshini Ganesh, a former architecture intern at our studio. This series of drawing were produced as part of the summer workshop, Streetscape Scene 1, in May 2017. As a part of this sketch-pedition, eight participants, explored the areas of Lower Parel, Dadar and Byculla through their drawings.

Roshini traced the journey of a little boy, (holding her camera at 4 feet) in an old neighbourhood, near Bharat Mata theatre, in Parel, Mumbai. Her fictional story begins in one of these typical high-density chawls, which once were made to house migrant mill workers...who continued to stay back to make this city their home. With the mill lands now being developed into malls, commercial blocks or high end residential, many of these chawls are the only physical reminder of a time that has passed, a time of their grandfathers. Their children having embraced education to further their financial growth, have also begun to question and seek better living conditions. The little boy’s eyes trace the current landscape as he races across to meet his friends at his local school’s terrace.

As you fill in the blank bubbles, use your observation and imagination to write your interpretation of his journey. You can mail us your story book, so that we can post it on our blog as well. The book will also be available in Hindi and Marathi Soon


About the Illustrator:

Roshini is a dreamer who finds joy in practicing architecture and design. She has worked on documentation and mapping projects in North, West, and South India to understand places for people through the ages. She has also been involved in curating and hosting Heritage Walks in Madras to connect people to their history and heritage. She turns to reading for inspiration and remembers her favourite words - “People can have more than they think”.


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