Green & bare it, this festival of lights!

Diwali is around the corner and if you’re looking to get creative with fun, quirky, eco-friendly and out-of-the-box gifting ideas, then these city entrepreneurs might come to your rescue. We find out from them what’s unique in their eco-friendly creations and how they are hatke from the sweets, namkeens, chocolates and dry fruit boxes that tend to do the rounds, this time of the year. And that’s not it. These are also affordable, costing only a few hundreds of rupees, so you don’t have to break the bank when you think of innovative and useful gifting.

Go Green Diwali: It’s the festival of lights, and lighting up the lives of others is Jayant Srikumar Gauri (25) of Glow Lanterns (glowlanterns.in). If you’re looking for sky lanterns, sparkling sky lanterns, hanging lanterns and candle bags then these eco-friendly and biodegradable glow lanterns might make the perfect gift for people of all ages.

“It is considered good luck to release a sky lantern, and many believe they are symbolic of worries floating away. One of the biggest dilemmas we face is that one ideal gift for friends. When I was doing my masters in the UK, I was faced with the same issue when I had to buy a gift for a girl. That’s when I came across these. We decided to light it and at that moment when I watched it slowly drift away into the night sky until it became a minuscule dot, almost like a star in the sky, I wanted to share this feeling with the rest of the world. They range from '80 to '400 and the popular ones are packs of five superior glow lanterns at '600. Fireworks are an integral part of this festival, but they pollute the environment. These eco-friendly sparkling sky lanterns are not just great gifts, but an experience that people like to cross off their bucket list,” states Jayant.  

Green thumb: Mayukhini Pandey (31) and Mani HK (29) both NID graduates of Greenopia, a city-based start-up are doing their bit to bring nature to your  home with Grow Love, a self-watering plant system. Mani shares, “Zen bottles are unique since they mimic the desert environment in a small glass bottle. What’s more, these plants are super low on maintenance and good to keep around your home or desk and start at '450 upwards. Due to their low maintenance, they make perfect gifts for the busy urban generation that loves to live life in the fast lane. The art of gifting lies in the details and these green gifts are tiny presents with striking forms, mimicking a desert ecosystem inside the glass bottle.”

Quirky and offbeat: Megha Joshi (27), The Purple Pony says, “It’s all about being offbeat this Diwali and when these gifts are handcrafted by skillful artisans, then it makes it even better. There are whimsical creations starting at '350 onwards that capture and convey the delight of bright colours, beautiful workmanship and can deck up any space including tabletops, shelves, windowsills and even office desks. I’ve always loved quirky-designer products, which pushed me to keep a sanctuary of only fun and pretty pieces like butterflies, trees, cute installations, valley of lights etc perk up spaces, bringing a dash of colour and kitsch.”