Mallika Benani had a bit of a problem. Gift-hunting for her two older brothers this festive season, the 30-year-old advertising executive wanted something her siblings would really appreciate. And the usual box of chocolates, gobbled up in an instant, seemed so passe. “I wanted something unique that they’d keep and actually use, even after Diwali.” So when she chanced upon Saanwri Gorwaney’s PopadumArt page on Facebook, she was delighted. She promptly contacted the artist to pick up two of her hand-painted bottles, with quirky Ravaana and rocket motifs.
Mallika is not alone. Tired of the usual crockery sets and mithai dabbas on sale, students, young professionals, newly-marrieds and companies, too, seem to want their gifts to stand out. And they have options galore this time. They could head to craft boutique stores like Dhoop in Bandra and Tribal Route in Andheri, Mumbai, who use traditional craftsmen to create contemporary Diwali goodies or log on to the net, and access sites like quirkoshop.com or chumbak.in and even Facebook to find small start-ups that are catering to the unusual this season.
Long-time players like Happily Unmarried, which has been in the business of quirk for a while, have also woken up to the potential. “This year we designed a rocket tea-light, especially for Diwali, and next year we plan a much bigger array of products,” says Rajat Tuli of Happily Unmarried. He also reports a surge in sales this year, 40 per cent more than last year. As he sees it, young professionals in their 20s and 30s are bored of cookie-cutters, China-made knick-knacks and the “six-katori sets”, which come across as routine offerings, chosen without thought or emotion. “They want their gifts to reflect their personalities and be memorable,” he remarks. It would explain why 27-year-old Shikha Shah, a housewife, snapped up 17 wacky tins from Tappu ki Dukan in south Mumbai, to send cookies this year. “I saw those tins and just loved them!” she says.
From left, quirky cushions; metal canister diyas; having fun with recycled plastic bottles
Tapping into this need to be ‘different’, young professionals—mostly design graduates, advertising professionals and even housewives—are offering sundry bespoke goods and services this year. “Small start-ups are cool this Diwali,” says Mansi Poddar of Brown Paper Bag, who scouts for information about unusual services and products in Mumbai with Kanika Parab for their website bpbweekend.com. “One lady I know is making diya-shaped cupcakes for the season. Kanika Jain Gupta, who runs the brand Iktaara, is making these cute owl playing cards in Hindi. At the Bandit Queen store, you have glow-in-the-dark pillows,” she reels off, before pointing out that the surge in demand for such products is only the tip of the iceberg.
Gorwaney, who started PopadumArt just three months back “as a side thing” along with her advertising job, would probably second that. Her hand-painted bottles have found customers online, through her Facebook page and through niche stores like Tappu ki Dukan. Shubhra Chadda, owner of chumbak.in, based in Bangalore, retails online and through 32 stores across the country, has also seen a “phenomenal” response for her products. Her bestsellers have been tins with garam masala, pan masala and ginger-flavoured chocolates, tins with India-inspired graphics, and Ravaana fridge magnets, all priced under Rs 500.
In Hyderabad, corporate buyers seem to be fuelling the trend. “They ask us for gifts that are unusual and creative because they want their clients to remember them,” says Firdous Majeed, PR manager of Dcube. In Pune, meanwhile, it’s newly-marrieds and young professionals who are flocking to Either Or, one of the few shops in the city which stock edgy designs.
From left, playing cards; funky containers; bangle tea light stand; Raavana bottle
But besides urban suppliers of cool, there is another source of all things fresh this Diwali: our traditional craftsmen. “Urbanites want Indian craft items for Diwali but want a modern, contemporary twist on them. So you have coconut shell wax candles and diyas made from recycled materials,” says Nihar Mehta, owner of Tribal Route, who works with traditional artisans. He points out that with China-made goods saturating the traditional market, Indian craftsmen are realising how important it is to innovate to keep their craft alive. “They were already producing goods for export and now they have realised there is a market in India, too, for original designs,” he says.
This is the reason why Aradhana Nagpal Ramzanali, who runs Dhoop, is slowly shifting away from traditional offerings and has got art students and craftsmen to jazz up her Diwali product range this year. She has also been tapping export-oriented craftspeople, who have been hit by recession in the West, to design goods for her store, from a Lakshmi evil-eye to ready-made rangolis. Clearly, a quirky Diwali makes for a happier one.
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