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Anupam Sehgal from
Chandigarh is a student at the Chitkara University and loves to
celebrate Diwali and goes all out. For him, it is a time to be spent
with family and creating memories. He reminisces, "Last year my
brother was here from London and along with my sister, we all went to
Sukhna Lake and really enjoyed the fair being held there. As there has
been a sharp rise in LPG and vegetable prices this year, our family
shall not be cooking too many dishes and sweets as we do every year.
We have also decided not to give gifts this year and instead are
planning to have a get-together with friends and neighbours."
In a different world, but with the same enthusiasm, Shelly Suri from Dubai makes Diwali special for her family. An entrepreneur, she says, "Diwali is a time to teach the kids some traditions and we really take pains to make sure it is enjoyable for all. We light up the house and do puja the traditional way but restrict ourselves to just phuljharis and avoid crackers. With the recession, the amount of Diwali shopping decreases but the festive spirit is very much alive. We organise a potluck dinner with friends and make merry together." For the young, it is a time to party with their friends and shopping for new clothes and accessories is all a part of the celebrations. "Every year, my friends and I spend on the clothes that we have to wear for the many get-togethers that we have around Diwali. But this year, we are all mixing and matching a few older pieces with new things. This way we can keep up the revelry and have a good time during the festival season", says Shradha Sharma, a 20-year-old student from Mani Majra. Personal touch matters Diwali is also a time to express your love and affection with your near and dear ones. While most of us are busy thronging the markets looking for the perfect gifts; a few like Anuja Katyal have made up their minds to add a personal touch and save a bit of money at the same time. A school teacher from Ghaziabad, Ms Katyal says, "Every year I spend a lot of time and money on gifts for neighbours, relatives and friends and when I go to visit them, hardly anybody is home as everyone is out doing the same. This year, my budget has already been stretched to its limit and instead of spending money on gifts and then some more on petrol, I have decided to make sweets and cakes at home which are a lot healthier and more appreciated too." It is after all the thought behind the gift that counts and nothing can be better than homemade goods. In times of economic constraints, creativity sparkles at its best. A homemaker from Mumbai, Sheetal Narayan, has decided to make sure that the fun does not leave her Diwali celebrations due to financial pressures. Traditional sharing
So while the recession has been hard-hitting, festivals like Diwali shall remain unmatched in fervour. The modern materialistic exchanges are being replaced once again by the traditional sharing and celebrating that marked the festival in earlier times, as the unnecessary makes way for the basic sentiments that matter. Troubling trends for this Diwali n A survey by Assocham has found that there has been a huge drop in the number of shoppers visiting malls. Already plagued by large numbers remaining unoccupied, the decline has been a sharp 35-40 per cent. Even Diwali has not been able to revive the fall in the number of visitors to the malls. n Another study by the same company has revealed that corporate houses are being affected by the slowdown and are being forced to halve their expenditure on advertising. Those in the automobile and consumer durables sector will have to cut back by 65 per cent owing to sluggish sales. n The choice for shopping has shifted online, especially for Diwali. Cashkaro.com, a popular cash-back and coupons website, has found in a survey that 83 per cent participants in the survey planned to shop online. The results were based on a sample of 1,032 members and social media followers of the site.
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A
This year, she has
decided to make it as enjoyable without spending a lot. Both of them
have been busy decorating diyas and are making a bandhanwar
to put on their door on the day of Diwali. Her daughter Preethi says,
"It has been more fun than ever and to reduce the consumption of
gas, we have even decided to make sweets that use minimal cooking like
coconut modak with condensed milk, custard instead of phirni
and chocolate log". All our close friends have agreed not to
exchange gifts this year and just visit each other with a little
something that they make at home. Not only is the whole family more
excited about a different menu, it will also leave more money for
important household purchases that we want to make this Diwali."