As the skies prepare to go vibrant in Uttarayan (kite festival), various cities of Gujarat including Ahmedabad, Khambhat and Nadiad, are bustling with kite markets. 

In Ahmedabad, many families are engaged in kite-making for nine months of the year, with work halting only during the four months of monsoon.

This cottage industry provides livelihoods to numerous families across Ahmedabad throughout the year.

Every year, around 1.5 lakh artisans from northern India travel to Ahmedabad and Surat to make kites. Gujarat manufactures kites worth ₹650 crores, contributing to 95% of India's kite market, with Ahmedabad and Surat leading the production.

As winter approaches, kites start to fill the skies, peaking on January 14 and 15 during Uttarayan and Vasi Uttarayan, coupled with scrumptious Gujarati recipes including chikkis, and undhiyu.

Kite markets seem bustling in Gujarat a month before Uttarayan; however, preparations for meeting this demand began six months earlier.

In areas like Jamalpur, Kalupur, Dariyapur, Raikhad, Gheekanta, Narol, Vatva, Jamalpur, Ramol, Odhav, Isanpur, Gomtipur, Bapunagar, and Amraiwadi, a large number of Muslim artisans from other cities come to Ahmedabad to make kites.

These artisans primarily hail from cities like Jaipur, Raebareli, Meerut, Ghaziabad, and Indore.

Kites are made from materials like butter paper, tissue paper, local and polyester plastic paper, bamboo sticks, and string.

Nowadays, kites are also customised with 3D printing. They are no longer limited to local markets; they have found a place in corporate gifting as well. Companies often present customised kites and spools as gifts to their employees.

In Ahmedabad, kites are available for prices ranging from ₹2,000 to ₹1,000 or even ₹5,000, depending on their size, paper, and materials used. Kites from Ahmedabad are exported to countries like the United States, Canada, and Central Asia.

Notably, kites were originally invented in China and later introduced to Delhi and northern Indian cities by the Mughals as a popular winter pastime.

Today, Gujarat stands as the largest producer of kites in India, with the majority of artisans working in Ahmedabad and Surat. Due to the Gujaratis' passion for kites, the state leads the world in kite production.

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