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TIL CreativesElders exchange gifts while children joyfully light Diwali crackers in an Indian courtyard. Remember the time when you could get a sack full of patakhas for just 100 bucks, or dozens of diyas for just a couple of rupees? Diwali, in the 90s was very different, unfiltered and simpler. No rich fancy gifts, but exchanging smiles during meets and greets were the core ritual back then. Houses were decorated with real marigold flowers and garlands. Houses were lit up with diyas and candles, unlike today's LED lights and blinging artificial decoration.However, technology and innovation have revamped the way we celebrate Diwali in the modern days. Diwali, a festival which once featured clay diyas, handmade torans, homemade sweets and cheerful family gatherings, is now full of LED diyas, fancy imported lights and plastic flowers. E-commerce and quick commerce platforms now replace crowded bazaars, offering a wide variety of everything from idols to sweets at blazing speed.Earlier, Diwali wishes were not just a customary Whatsapp forward, as people visited loved ones to wish them on this special festival. Those with landline facilities connected over phone calls. Over the years, mass migration has made technology a necessity in such times. As Indians move abroad, people migrate from rural to urban areas, families are becoming smaller and distant from their roots. In such times, technology becomes a bridge facilitating connections through various communications channels. Age-old rituals are now replaced by tech-driven initiatives like online aarti, AI-powered lighting and online rangoli inspiration. Not just this, even the spirit of giving and donations has gone digital with e-gift cards, UPI-enabled temple offerings and QR code donations. With all these elements, Diwali is slowly turning into a tech-savvy festival.Live EventsWith all advancements and innovation-driven celebration style, Diwali has also become a major opportunity for content creators. OTTD, Diwali party outfits, Diwali decor and Diwali DIYs are some of the hot trending topics at this time of the year. Here’s how technology is reshaping the Festival of Lights:E-commerce and gifting revolutionE-commerce and quick hyperlocal deliveries have transformed the Diwali shopping styles. Customers can now explore lakhs of designs from the comfort of their couch and get merchandise delivered at their doorstep with a single click. The bustling markets during the festive season have now reduced to the dimensions of a screen. As companies explore broader product offerings, one can now shop for complete looks, including clothes, accessories, etc -- all in one marketplace.E-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, AJIO, Meesho and others organize mega sales on their platforms during the festive season, offering a wide range of discounts across categories. As the younger generation is now getting habituated to instant gratification and couch comfort, everything from outfits and decor is often ordered online. Quick commerce platforms like Eternal’s Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and JioMart also offer huge discounts to attract customers during this time.If one can choose and get everything online, why go to the markets?Gifting, a major part of Diwali celebrations, has not been left untouched by technology as well. People now prefer digital gift cards instead of sending sweets and chocolates to loved ones. Factors like rising food adulteration, increasing lifestyle diseases like diabetes and blood pressure, often drive such consumer sentiments. A digital card gives the receiver a flexibility to choose and get what they actually need, not what someone else chose for them.Online puja and aarti livestreamPopular Indian temples like Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, Vaishno Devi, Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain and various ISKCON temples offer online aarti or special darshan booking services through their official websites or authorized platforms. Devotees can watch aarti livestream on their screens. Such practices have gained popularity with expanding modernization and the nuclear-family concept.But, what is driving this change in the puja system? “The rise of online puja is happening because it solves very real, modern problems in a deeply spiritual society. We see this driven by what we call the three A’s: Affordability, Access and Assurance,” Prashant Sachan, Founder and CEO, Sri Mandir, told ET.Over time, digital platforms offering e-puja services have also emerged as a favourable choice among youngsters. With nuclear families and modern generations, the online puja system is also becoming a new choice. Gen Z wants to escape the hustle of finding a pandit to perform rituals or taking out long hours for puja preparation and chanting. Instead, they go for platforms like Harivara, Sri Mandir or Sansthha by booking a puja service online. The customer base of Sri Mandir is tilted towards young and middle-aged people, the working professionals and nuclear families, “the ones who are time-starved yet crave that spiritual stability.”“In today’s fast-paced, urban India, people often struggle to find an authentic priest or arrange all the ritual materials needed for a puja, especially during peak festivals,” Sachan said. “We effectively act as a spiritual logistics manager…taking care of everything so the devotee doesn't have to worry about the hassle.”These platforms have evolved over time to expand to specialty product offerings like Diwali Lakshmi Puja, Vishwakarma Puja, Narayan Puja, etc. Such platforms ensure that people who cannot physically visit their ancestral temple or be with their whole family do not feel excluded.Such services are made affordable “through pooled pujas and accessible by tying up with revered temples across the country and globally.” Not just the puja, some e-puja platforms also offer additional services to ensure the blessed Prasad and Aashirwad Box are shipped directly to the devotee’s doorstep.Social media greetings and ‘influence’ Social media is shaping the lifestyle of citizens as Whatsapp, Instagram and Snapchat are now serving as key communication platforms, especially for the young generation. Greeting cards, printed wishes have now been replaced with Instagram reels, festive filters, and WhatsApp greetings as citizens choose convenience over convention.People sit to scroll through to find a special recipe for festivals and even home decor inspirations. Influencers are driving the festive trends these days, as every festival is preceded by a series of videos on outfit ideas, home decor trends and DIY hacks featured on every influencer’s feed. Trending Diwali videos also include Diwali rangoli ideas, photograph pose ideas and vlogs.Next-gen diya & candlesFrom shopping sprees that begin with a click to LED-lit balconies synced to smartphone apps, technology has woven itself into the fabric of India’s festival of lights.As the spirit of Diwali remains intact in the slogan of light over darkness, the Diwali lighting has also evolved over the years. For decades, Indians used clay diyas for lightning up their homes during this auspicious festival. But, questioning their durability, people are now switching to plastic diyas, sensor lights, and LED diyas that are reusable and decorative. Markets are flooded with Chinese lights and new-age diyas Made-in-India.When one innovation follows another, there’s a massive offering of products that come along the way. One may find water-sensor diyas, LED Diyas, plastic candles and more. Manufacturers are also experimenting with the raw material to replace clay as they have started offering ceramic and terracotta diyas that look more polished and cleaner than the clay counterparts.Similarly, buyers are now choosing decorative jar candles and tin candles over plain wax candles to enhance the decoration. These candles are infused with a variety of aroma that light up the place with the scent. LED Flameless candles are also a trend that replicates the LED Diya technology. People often choose these for outdoors, as they are long-lasting and do not extinguish with the wind.With these innovative products flooding the market, the demand for clay diyas may reduce with time, impacting hundreds and thousands of low-income families who work in such seasonal manufacturing units.Technology and innovation have not left any part of human life untouched. Every element of day-to-day lives, including celebrations, has transformed over the years with new-age products and techniques. Some of these offerings are often priced lower than the traditional ones as people choose convenience over cost.Diwali continues to be one of the biggest festivals of India as the "spirit of devotion resides in the heart” and “technology is just a medium," says Sachan.Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) Read More News ondiwali 2025Sri Mandirled diyasinstagramDiwali celebrationLED lightsDiwali Giftsgift cardsLakshmi Puja (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online....moreless (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)Read More News ondiwali 2025Sri Mandirled diyasinstagramDiwali celebrationLED lightsDiwali Giftsgift cardsLakshmi Puja(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online....moreless
