There’s something oddly soothing about this year’s pre-Diwali calm. No flood of brand sermons, no “Let’s Celebrate Diwali Responsibly” campaigns featuring models holding diyas like they’re radioactive, and no overzealous jingles preaching moral enlightenment through detergent. It almost feels… peaceful. Suspiciously peaceful.
Have I missed the memo? Maybe my media consumption is more flooded with algorithmic push for Wedding purchases and vacation planning to miss these creative and strategic geniuses.
Have brands collectively gone into a state of meditation? Or are they finally too exhausted to tell us how to celebrate the festival correctly?
Every year, like clockwork, a highly predictable line of reasoning and brand-purpose defining moves, some enlightened brand takes it upon itself to civilise the Hindu masses. Taking it upon itself to teach how to light diyas sustainably, distribute sweets sensibly, and burst crackers only after consulting their CSR and air quality report.
To be fair to the brands and colleagues in the brand and marketing arena, I’m not saying everything the brands have preached was wrong or unwarranted.
Many of those campaigns did some good and were well-intended. They made us more mindful of noise levels-especially for our furry friends. They reminded us to include our house help and support staff in the celebrations, to share the joy beyond our gated communities, and to keep a close eye on safety. They tried, in their own brand-approved way, to sprinkle a bit of conscience over consumerism.
However, the problem arises when conscience becomes a corporate commandment and the brands think of themselves as crusaders. When brands start playing cultural referees instead of participants.
Yes, rituals and practices evolve. Yes, many need rethinking. However, that’s something best handled within religious or community frameworks, rather than marketing departments. Brands can nudge, they can suggest, but they shouldn’t preach. And if they must, then fairness demands equal sermons across all religions, all festivals, and all inconvenient truths-which, of course, is never on the agenda.
Maybe that’s why this year’s silence feels… sane. Though I fear that it is silence only on my screens, and a bomb will burst this bubble of misplaced sentiments.
Perhaps the advertising world has finally realised that its relentless drive to redefine Diwali—“Iss baar Diwali alag tarah se manate hain!” ( let’s celebrate Diwali differently)—could backfire in today’s charged climate. After all, moral grandstanding is a risky sport when people have discovered the “Unfollow” and “boycott” buttons.
Or maybe the creative well has simply run dry. After years of celebrating Diwali with recycled diyas, cruelty-free sweets, and solar smiles, there’s not much left to innovate. What’s next-“Celebrate Diwali in the Metaverse: zero carbon, zero calories, zero relatives”?
Whatever the reason, I’m enjoying the quiet. I’m happy to light diyas, do the puja, burst a few green crackers, share a few sweets, and rekindle genuine relationships—no hashtags required.
Because if Diwali becomes too calm, too guilt-washed, too brand-safe, we’ve truly lost the spark that makes it special.
So here’s to a simple, human, unbranded Diwali, where the light comes from diyas, not PowerPoint decks. You do the decoration, you light up the places, welcome goddess Lakshmi- share prosperity within and outside the community- and re-establish strong emotions and relationships.
And to all the marketers nervously sitting on unused campaigns, don’t worry. Next year, you can proudly say, “Iss baar Diwali waisi hi manate hain.”
Now that would actually be different.
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Know all about Diwali– the stories- the rituals the days. Know why its a six day festival instead of five in 2025. And know waht is the best Muhurat for the uja.
