Try these Deepavali Gifts along with Diwali SMS, Wishes & Greetings

Fancy a rasmalai mascarpone pastry or a gulab jamun rabdi mousse in your Diwali gift hamper? Or would you like Guylian chocolates to accompany a portable DVD player? Diwali hampers this year are not as sparse as they were in 2009, when the shadow of recession was very much around.

Not surprisingly, gift hampers are coming with fancy price tags. At the Taj Mahal Hotel, a Rs. 30,000 hamper comes with a gold- plated Ganesha, Satya Paul silk tie, cuff links and a Moet & Chandon champagne.

Recipients of gift hampers from Mount Shivalik Industries, the makers of Thunderbolt beer, were taken by surprise when they got a portable DVD player along with a case of the super strong beer. Corporate gifting has become a brand building exercise.

The Surya New Delhi’s hamper may be priced at a humbler Rs. 4,400, but it showcases the fanciest products of its pastry shop, French Crust. These include inventive desserts such as Boondi Chocolate Cup and Ghewar Exotic Fruit Tartlet. “ People are tired of predictable hampers and they are ready to pay more for innovations,” says Devraj Haldar, The Surya’s food and beverage head.

For those on a limited budget, the Indulgence hamper of Godrej Nature’s Basket is priced at Rs. 2,500 and comes loaded with firecrackers, imported chocolates, cranberry cookies, and unusual fruit juices from Swell, such as melon and peach nectar. Department store Le Marche’s hampers spill over with reputed chocolate brands such as Lindt, Tudor Gold, Van Houten and Noir, and are priced up to Rs. 5,000. If last year’s hampers were about aromatherapy candles and arty diyas , chocolates seem to have caught everyone’s fancy this Diwali. And so have silver Ganeshas.

At Celeste, the chocolate shop at Ambience Mall, Gurgaon, the fancy boxes in which Diwali goodies come justify the Rs. 10,000 tag.

Some of them look like antique treasure chests embellished with artificial flowers, multi- hued stones and oversized artificial pearls. And there’s one that comes in the shape of Aladdin’s lamp — it’s made with mother of pearl and packed with liquor chocolates. Celeste owner Nidhi Bhageria says: “ The goodies will disappear but the boxes will stay forever.” Predictability seems to have gone out of Diwali gifting.