BhavnaMehta
Kite artist · Entrepreneur · Women’s-empowerment advocate
India’s first award-winning independent lady kite designer, maker, and flier.
“The sky is the limit and to fly is my goal.”Her motto
Six dimensions, one string
Everything she does hangs from the same line — follow any star, or scroll to walk them all.
Kites that tell stories
Selected narrative works from her Kite Stories collection — each kite carries an episode of the epics.
RamayanaBali–Sugriva
The rival brothers of the Ramayana, painted in flight.
Japanese · 24" × 41"
MahabharataDuryodhana
The crowned prince of Hastinapura — the hardest fight.
Rokkaku · 52" × 46"
MahabharataDraupadi
The swayamvara of Panchali — five arrows, one revolving fish.
Indian fighter · 46" × 46"
MahabharataMatsyalaya Vardhanam
The spinning fish above the assembly of kings.
Rokkaku · 45" × 52"
Bhagavad GitaVirat Darshan
The universal form, painted for the wind to carry.
Indian fighter · 46" × 46"
RamayanaShabari
Patience and devotion, rewarded in a moment.
Rokkaku · 52" × 45"
My stint with the kites as a professional began in 2008, when I first participated in the 18th International Kite Festival.Bhavna Mehta, in The Mooknayak, January 2023
The sky
The kite artist who opened the field
Flying competitively since 2008 — every kite handcrafted with natural materials and non-toxic dyes, and never glass-coated manja, for the safety of people and birds.
- 3× consecutive festival first prizes, 2009–11
- Best Artistic Kite, Portsmouth, UK — 2019
- 25+ festivals across five countries
- Permanent display, World Kite Museum, South Korea
The shop
The entrepreneur of handmade things
A cottage-industry enterprise built on her own hands: artistic kites, handicrafts, candles, and jewellery — plus promotional kite work associated with Shamitabh, Jai Ho, and Street Dancer 3.
- 2013 Swayam Siddha recognition, GCCI Business Women Wing
- 2025–26 COWE India Excellence Award, Creative Manufacturing
The trust
The founder who multiplies livelihoods
Vocational training and mentorship for women, particularly in rural Gujarat — handicrafts, embroidery, mehndi, jewellery, candles, natural sharbat, mukhwas, and cookery — with workshops run under Government of India EDP/ESDP entrepreneurship programmes.
- EDP / ESDP-supported programmes
- Inquiries only — no donation flow is active
The world
The cultural ambassador
Six of her kites hold a permanent place at the World Kite Museum in Korea. More than 50 Ramayana- and Mahabharata-themed kites flew for Jakarta’s 2018 celebration of 70 years of India–Indonesia friendship, appreciated in writing by FICCI’s Gujarat State Council — and her art serves at home too, from the “1091” women’s-safety helpline to Rapid Action Force workshops.
- 2015 six kites in the permanent collection, World Kite Museum, Korea
- 2018 Jakarta exhibition, India–Indonesia friendship
- 2024 American Kitefliers Association journal feature
- 2026 kite-string presentation to PM Modi & Chancellor Merz, IKF Ahmedabad
The community
The community leader
Mahila Samiti Convener from 2016 to 2023, and since December 2024 the organisation’s Maha Mantri (General Secretary) — the first woman to hold the office in its 111-year history.
- 2016–23 Mahila Samiti Convener
- 2024→ Maha Mantri (General Secretary)
The table
The cook the cameras kept inviting back
Live cookery shows during the International Kite Festival in 2016 and 2017 — re-telecast on public demand — plus TV9 Gujarati’s 5 Star Tadka, ETV Gujarati’s Rasoi ni Ramzat, classes, and her own YouTube channel.
- ’16–’17 live IKF cookery broadcasts
- TV9 5 Star Tadka & ETV Rasoi ni Ramzat
In the press, on the air
Selected recent coverage and her own channels. Links open on the original platform.
“Kai Po Che: At 54, Bhavna Mehta soars high with her kites!”
The Mooknayak · 12 January 2023 · by Geetha Sunil Pillai
Open on The Mooknayak → (opens in new tab)Video“Meet Bhavna, India’s first female internationally acclaimed kite artist”
The Hindu · YouTube Short · Uttarayan coverage
Open on The Hindu → (opens in new tab)Feature post“Bhavna Mehta … has emerged as one of India’s most celebrated kite artists, breaking through gender barriers”
The Hindu · LinkedIn · January 2025
Open on The Hindu → (opens in new tab)ReelReel from her Instagram
Instagram · @bhavna.s.mehta
Open on Instagram → (opens in new tab)ReelReel from her Instagram
Instagram · @bhavna.s.mehta
Open on Instagram → (opens in new tab)Video“Ahmedabad’s Bhavana Mehta Soars As India’s 1st Female Internationally Acclaimed Kite Artist”
OTV News English · YouTube interview
Open on OTV News English → (opens in new tab)Press profileETV Bharat Gujarat meets Bhavna Mehta, honoured with the title ‘first woman kite flyer’
ETV Bharat · 8 January 2020 · Gujarati — reporting her invitation to fly from the Kite Society of Great Britain
Open on ETV Bharat → (opens in new tab)Press profile“International Women’s Day 2018 Special: Meet Bhavna Shailesh Mehta, India’s first ‘Woman Kite Flier’”
India TV · 8 March 2018
Open on India TV → (opens in new tab)Press profile“I found my star at the International Kite Festival, Ahmedabad”
Resfeber18 travel blog · 22 January 2017 · republished on her Kite Stories site
Open on Resfeber18 travel blog → (opens in new tab)“India’s first woman kitist gets global recognition”
DNA (dnaindia.com) · 9 February 2015 · by Aneri Nihalani — on six of her kites taking a permanent place at the World Kite Museum, Korea
Print editionSwayam Siddha 2013 — women entrepreneurs honoured by GCCI’s Women Wing
City Bhaskar (Divya Bhaskar), Ahmedabad · 4 July 2013 · Gujarati — her Special Achievement Award, with her account of moving from insurance work to kites and training women
Print editionBhavna S. Mehta on YouTube
Her channel — Kites, craft, and cooking — in her own voice.
Open on Her channel → (opens in new tab)Take hold of the string
Media, cultural institutions, festivals, workshop hosts, and partners — begin a conversation.