Origami, a Japanese art, is what 19-year-old Rishi Pachipulusu indulges in during his free time. His interest in the art developed when he was 10.
“I started watching online tutorials when I decided to try my hand at it; didn’t expect that I would get hooked. I also ended up influencing a couple of friends; it is nice as I wasn’t the only one who was being mocked for folding paper,” he laughs.
He recalls that the first origami he made was a ninja star, “The first one I ever folded probably got thrown around, and the initial bunch I made was either played with or got swept into the dustbin. As for the more complicated stuff I made later, they are stored in my cupboards.”
He says innovating new designs is a bit hard and that most of his work is inspired by what he finds online.
Rishi also has sold a few pieces at school exhibitions, but does not like the idea of pursuing his skill as a profession, “My friends and I did try to sell them twice at school exhibitions at low prices, and we got about Rs 1000 which was given to charity by the school.”
piece.
He reveals that Rs 4000 is the most money he made by making paper planes, but he confesses that making those pieces took a lot of his effort and time. “People are generally pretty fascinated by it because it isn’t something you see much off in general,” he says. “There are also times when people are really unimpressed and don’t really care” he chuckles.
The time taken to complete a piece varies based on its complexity. He says origami has taught him to be patient. “There are some I can finish within minutes and others take hours.
Usually, modular origami is what takes up a lot of time,” he adds.
When asked about what gratifies him as an artist, Rishi says “It feels really nice when you sit for a long time folding a flat piece of paper till it turns into something meaningful. I have had times where I couldn’t figure out how to finish the model for months together, but the satisfaction you get when you complete it is an amazing feeling.”