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A slender stick from a broom. A sheet of cellophane paper that had been used to wrap agarbatti. Some rice to stick it all together. That was the beginning of a life dedicated to flying. Not, as one might think, as a pilot but as a manufacturer of model aircraft, aeromodelling teacher and dispenser of advice about anything related to aeromodelling. "I must have been 12 years old then but I can still remember the exhilaration I felt when the model I made with the broomstick and agarbatti paper flew 12 feet," says P Eshwar, now 62 and the proprietor of ENR Model Aircraft. It's this passion that attracts customers like Srikanth Chenji, a 26-year-old engineer in Hyderabad, who has returned after a gap of seven years to pick up material for a "bird" (model aircraft) from the small shop, not too far from the busy Shivajinagar bus terminus near central Bangalore. "Yes, there are a couple of shops selling what I need in Hyderabad, too, but those are run as businesses. When I come here, Mr Eshwar gives me ideas and suggestions," says Chenji, a graduate in aeronautical engineering.
That first model aircraft Eshwar made had kindled a desire to become a pilot, but it was a wish he had to abandon because of parental concerns about his safety. So he opted for what seemed to him to be the next best option - a career in aeromodelling. "I had very gifted parents who let me do it. They felt one should enjoy one's work," says Eshwar, when asked about the somewhat incredible decision of his parents to let him go to Singapore for a course in aeromodelling, something many parents are unlikely to countenance even today, let alone the '70s.
But when he returned, it was to the sobering reality that not many people had heard about aeromodelling and even if they had, they did not want to fork out Rs 1,850 for his model aircraft kits. So he closed his shop and began, instead, to teach schoolchildren how to make model aircraft, going on to teach at various schools across Bangalore, including reputed ones like Bishop Cotton's and the Valley School. He says he was initially nervous about his new role but soon grew to enjoy it. "When I teach aeromodelling, I want the child to be fascinated by it. Every person must have a hobby," he says emphatically. Eshwar would teach the students to build the models themselves and then fly them.
Meanwhile, his shop, too, got a new lease of life. He had begun conducting flying sessions on Sundays to which his old students, still interested in the hobby, would also come. For those who wanted to build models, he began importing material for his model aircraft. But since this was expensive, he began manufacturing, even growing the balsa trees for wood used as raw material in his backyard. He also began teaching in colleges, as well as the National Cadet Corps and the Air Force Training College. His aircraft models caught the attention of the armed forces, who went on to place orders for several over the years. His most expensive model was a Rs 18 lakh one made for the armed forces; though he declines to reveal further details about the order.
Eshwar's model aircraft have also been deployed in slightly more unconventional operations, from being used to shower flowers over devotees during temple festivals to dropping pamphlets during elections. "I was also invited to do an aeromodelling show in Maharashtra in 1984 as a fund-raiser for drought-hit regions," he recalls. A politician who attended the event signed him on for something more ambitious - flying a model aircraft from Srinagar to Kanyakumari to promote national integration. "We began from Srinagar on October 2 and ended at Kanyakumari on November 14 - it was an amazing experience," he reminisces.
At the shop, Eshwar sells imported aeromodelling equipment and the materials he manufactures. The cheapest, made of thermocol and used to teach beginners, costs Rs 100 while bigger kits run into thousands of rupees. Customers include Telugu filmstar Nagarjuna who, Eshwar says, dropped in when there was a shoot in Bangalore. But the "client" who seems to have touched him the most was a street child who he taught to make kites, as part of an Alliance Francaise outreach programme. "He came to my shop after the training and said he wanted to sell kites. So I gave him Rs 200 to start off. A year later he came back with a box of sweets and Rs 200 that he had been able to earn by selling kites. Now, both he and his wife sell kites and have earned enough to buy a scooter and build a small house," says Eshwar.
The 62-year-old continues to sell his models and give tips to enthusiasts, though he says he's slowed down now because he's in the middle of renovating his shop. And while he could not become a pilot, both his son and daughter have. "My daughter is a co-pilot with Air India," he says proudly. Eshwar adds, "I have enjoyed every minute of my professional life." Now how many of us have the luxury of saying that?
(ENR Model Aircraft is located at No 35, Lady Curzon Road, Bangalore. Phone: 080-25580179 / 98860 30388)
