Diwali is no longer just about new clothes, lavish gift hampers and festive shopping sprees for the youth, but about celebrating with greater purpose and intention. From using their first stipends to support a child’s education to choosing sustainable decor and handmade gifts, young Mumbaikars are rethinking how they celebrate. Their approach is simple: spend with intention, give with thought and make the festival count beyond the festivities.
For 19-year-old second-year BBA student Nethra Sudhir, her first internship stipend was a milestone she wanted to celebrate differently. For 22-year-old design student Armaan Shaikh, conscious gifting is about putting thought into a present rather than simply picking something off a shelf.
By contributing my salary to sponsor a child’s education, I’m hoping to light up someone’s future,” she says. “It cost less than the gifts I’d buy, but it took more time because I wanted each one to feel personal,” he says. Instead of spending it on herself, she decided to sponsor a child’s education through a city-based NGO. “Receiving my first internship stipend was a huge milestone, but this Diwali, I wanted to give that money a higher purpose.
Last year, he made a Diwali hamper for his closest friends.