From limited edition handmade porcelain sculptures of lord Ganesha and Goddess lakshmi at jaw-dropping price, lights and fragrant candles from Spain to silver-plated puja thali from Italy, to Turkish baklavas and much more — this Diwali is coming with an international touch, reports Sangeeta Yadav
Celebrating Diwali has become an expensive affair from the time international brands have started tapping the Indian market and launching customised products which are unique and trendy. With the rise in the disposable income, people are now shelling out extra bucks to buy expensive yet classy idols of lord Ganesha and Goddess lakshmi, puja thalis and exotic delicacies and celebrating this Festival of lights.
Spanish porcelain statues
lladró, a Spanish luxurious brand known for homemade porcelain figurines, have variety of lord Ganesha and Goddesses lakshmi figurine which you can pair as per your likes. Recently they also launched a limited edition of lord Shiva’s sculpture of 60x40x40 cm which costs Rs7,20,000.
“In our Spirit of India collection, we have figurine of all the Gods and Goddesses. There are lord Ganesha and Goddesses lakshmi figurine in glazed and matte finish. We have lord Ganesha playing flute or mridung or veena and even dancing. You can pair it as per your likes. last year, we had limited edition of lord Ganesha series which sold out and this year too, most of the pieces have already been sold. Diwali is also about lights, so we have introduced three new variants of fragrant candles that comes in a glass and a wooden lid with an angel on it. We are going to introduce two more variants as well soon. The biggest launch for this year is lord Shiva with only 720 pieces in the world. One can also buy Shiv lingam separately priced at Rs1,10,000. The gold lustre is put on the rudraksh, trishool and jewellery. There are some metal element used on the base part as well,” Nikhil lamba, Chief Operating Officer, lladró India says.
The reason why they are so expensive is because the sculptures are all hand made by the artisans in Spain and it takes more than a year to complete. “For any lladró sculpture, it takes over a year for a product to be made. The clay model gets replicated into Plaster of Paris which gets fragmented to make moulds. The liquid porcelain is poured in these moulds and when it is done, each fragments is joined together and hand painted. This is heated in the kiln for 24 hours at 1,300°C. When it comes out, it looks majestic,” lamba says.
The 22x18 figurine of Goddess lakshmi costs Rs90,000 whereas the lord Ganesha statue starts from Rs25,000 to Rs1,55,000, depending on the size. There are Veena Ganesha lamps that costs Rs1,15,000 and votive lights of Goddess lakshmi and lord Ganesha costing Rs6000 each. There are decorative plates set too costing Rs11,000. The fragrant candles cost Rs3,700.
Italian Puja thali
The Belirams, which is famous for its silver jewellery, art, and silver plated gifts, have got puja thalis specially made and imported from Italy. “This Diwali, we have specially customised and manufactured silver plated puja thalis from Italy. We have tied-up with Italian companies who manufacture for us not just thethalis but the idols, sculptures and photo frames as well. There are a variety of Italian puja thalis available in different size and styles. We give a brief to the manufacturer, share the pictures and tell them how we want it. After approving the samples, we order the product in limited edition that is then made available in all our stores. They can be ordered online as well. Indians go for silverthalis which cost between Rs5,000 to Rs50,000,” Rajat Jain, owner of Belirams tells you.
A puja thali set with a bell, tealight candle, small bowls and box is priced at Rs10,700.
Food delight
Make this Diwali special for your loved ones by gifting lip-smacking Turkish Baklavas filled with chopped nuts and sweetened honey, Iranian dates stuffed with dried fruits, nuts, orange or lemon peel and assortment of dried fruits and nuts from Southern Dales of California. Specially launched under the Indian label Bustaan at the Food Hall, these hampers are a perfect gifting option priced below Rs1500.
“We’ve an entire range of Middle-Eastern sweet under our brand. We’ve variety of olives from Italy and combined this with sundried tomato passé. There are special hamper with Truffle oil, Truffle pasta, Truffle salt, Truffle honey, Black Truffle paste and Black Truffles from Greece. Truffles are rare and considered an exotic delicacy. Hence, the cost is Rs10,100. One can buy them seperately as well,” Swasti Aggarwal, food strategist, Food Hall tells you.
If you like healthy snacking, Gourmia has launched flavoured nuts. Some of the imported products have cranberries, blueberries and prunes from the US and strawberries, kiwi, pineapple from Thailand. Then there are pistachios from Iran and almonds from California. The assorted packs cost between Rs495 to Rs1,695 and the hampers can be customised as per the requirement.
Since the nuts have no added oil, it makes them a healthy option for those who are constantly watching their weight. The nuts retain the natural fat, fibre and protein. Also, the nuts are dry roasted instead of fired or oil roasting. They are lightly salted as well for those watching their salt intake.
To order these packs, one can order it online at www.gourmiaindia.com or at retail stores of Reliance, Spencers, Spar, Tesco, Hypercity, Walmart, etc.