There was a time when you didn’t need to guess what your Diwali hamper contained — no surprises, just the expected delicious mithais and mouth-watering savouries.
Now those traditional Diwali gift boxes have undergone an exotic makeover, and containing anything from wine to Swarovski curios.
Explains Kaustauv Roy, assistant F&B manager of Taj Coromandel, which is offering some exotic hampers for the festive season, “Changes in lifestyle have prompted us to put together hampers that appeal to a wide range of tastes. However, keeping in mind that it is also a festival, we have also included some traditional items like diyas, sparklers and a Ganesha idol in our hampers.”
“Gifting sweets is something everyone does for Diwali. We wanted to make an impression, that’s why we are gifting all our close relatives a hamper with a bottle of wine, some cheese, chocolates and a silver coin with goddess Lakshmi engraved on it – for the traditional touch,” describes Abhishek Sharma, who heads his own export business.
Says Toral Mehta, who runs Melange, an event management company, “At least 90 per cent of our clients have insisted that the hampers contain either imported chocolate or a bottle of wine. One of the most common combinations we have are a bottle of wine, imported dry fruit, Swiss chocolates and a set of diyas.”
The fact that these items could be a little heavier on the pocket is not proving a deterrent either.
There are still some people who prefer to stick to tradition. Like Kavita Chesetty of malli.in puts it, “Diwali for me is a very traditional festival and gifting hampers with cheese, chocolates, etc. is okay for westerners but I would rather put together something with sweets like adhirasam that I make at home, which I think adds to the festive spirit.”
diwali festival, Diwali gift ideas
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