Projects

Kartik’s hyperactive brain produced a flood of ideas, many of which became projects big and small. Some of these were within school but most developed outside of school.  Of course, not all were grand successes, but his urge to create continued, unbridled. As his friend Chet once remarked, “Kartik made the bare minimum effort to clear the bar when a bar was set, but when there was no bar, he rose far, far above the rest”. His projects outside the school system, like the space balloon he made with his friend Lawrence, was a labour of love and how it soared!

Here are a few of his many projects that give a glimpse of his creative spirit:

1. Dog Walking (2010)

2. The Land of Lost Laces (2004)

3. Near-Space Weather Balloon (2015)

4. Xapo Website Help Screen (2014)

DOG WALKING

I remember that afternoon well. I was driving home from work and as I turned into Collingham Gardens, I noticed colourful posters fluttering along the railing of the communal garden. As I parked the car I recognised the big mobile phone number printed on the bottom – it was mine! 

I took one down and read it – it was Kartik’s handiwork – a poster for his dog-walking business. The contents made me smile then and make me smile even today. This poster is so symbolic of who Kartik was – creative, funny, entrepreneurial and unafraid to translate an idea into a real activity. He did get clients and he did walk the neighbourhood dogs. It was not a financial success as he spent more on buying treats for his precious Dogs than what he earned by walking them. Yet at age 11 he had understood the joy of working on what you really love.

 Poster Text:

 Dog Walking 

A dog is an animal that needs exercise. Especially in the city, it is hard to get out and about with your pooch for a whole host of reasons. What if the weather is bad or if you are exhausted? Fear not, for your canine friend won’t have to be cooped up inside all day!

 For a reasonable price, I can walk your dog any time after school hours and at any time during holidays. I am 12 years old, but I can handle any dog and would enjoy this job. If you would like to trial me, please contact me!

 My pricing is low; approximately £2.50 per hour and it depends on the type of breed frequency of the walks and other factors. There are great promotional offers too!

 Please email, text or call to discuss. Thank you!

THE LAND OF LOST LACES

Kartik was an extremely disorganised child. He had a real talent in losing his belongings, in particular he had a tendency to lose a single item of a pair – like a sock. His shoe laces were a similar story – strangely one would get lost. One day he came up with the idea of “the land of lost laces”– where these single laces would be living together happily. This picture is his visualisation of “the land of lost laces”.

NEAR-SPACE WEATHER BALLOON

Kartik built the weather balloon, thanks to his friend Laurence Berry and his very supportive family. It was a labour of love and the boys built it with great enthusiasm for over a year. There were many trials and many errors. After a few failed launches, the balloon finally soared, along with its GPS-enabled cameraphone which recorded its stunning flight and notified the boys of where it landed. 

The film the boys created, based on this remarkable flight that reached an altitude of 30,000 feet, is mesmerising. As the balloon soars into space, it is reflective of the aspirations and ambitions of its young creators.

XAPO WEBSITE HELP SCREEN

This website (see video below) is one of the few recordings of Kartik’s voice at age 17. We didn’t know much about this project until he completed it as part of an assignment he managed to organise entirely by himself – right from even identifying the company and proposing his services.