From lavish hampers and limited edition handmade porcelain sculptures of lord Ganesha, to silver puja thalis, SANGEETA YADAV reports on the many other high-end gifting options at jaw-dropping prices this Diwali
The art of gifting has become bigger and better with a world of luxury at your disposal. From theme-based gifting hampers to gifting an entire experience at a whopping price, not to mention gift-wrapping masterpieces that can be treasured for lifetime, a lot is on the shelf this Diwali.
Gone are the days when puja thalis used to be simple silverware plate with intrinsic designs on the base. Brands like Argentor Silver offer beautifully crafted silverware thalis with lotus flowers and leaves on the sides to keep the sweets and flowers along with bowls on the sides, priced at Rs 85,000.
Those who like to treasure masterpieces made of porcelain, lladró, the world-famous Spanish brand, has launched its newest hand crafted lord Ganesha sculpture. This limited edition has only 1800 units available in more than 100 countries and costs Rs 4.50 lakh each. Decorated in pink, yellow and blue colours along with gold lustre, this Ganesha embodies 250 handmade flowers which have been shaped petal by petal to decorate the garland.
“We wanted to launch a collection of lord Ganesh in the middle size category ie 17-inches height with matte finish. It makes for a perfect Diwali gift. So far, we have got a good response. The best part is that our product comes with 100 per cent replacement warranty for a year if bought from the boutique shop. There are many other designs and sizes of Ganesha and lakshmi that can be a perfect gift to give for Diwali,” Nikhil lamba, lladro CEO for India, says.
The trend of gift hampers has spread like wildfire. Curating such baskets has become an art and is done on the basis of the theme and a target audience. Mindfully crafted with handpicked items taken from various luxurious brands, these hampers are simply out-of-the-box, that is if you have a deep pocket.
The Oberoi Group brings to you 12 luxury hampers that are already sold out much in advance. Their Celebration of You hamper is touted to be one of the most expensive one costing Rs 3,50,000. It includes a timeless Mont Blanc ‘writing instrument’, Mont Blanc signature men’s watch, a classic perfume from the House of Gucci – a woman’s fragrance, a woman’s wallet from Gucci and Neel Sutra Silk shawl. Moreover, the hamper includes Tapas handcrafted plates, a set of Zalto glasses, a bottle of the finest Champagne, homemade signature chocolates and cookies in different flavours, Amaranta signature salts from Goa, Tamil Nadu and Kerala – created by Executed Sous Chef Tejas Sovani for Amaranta, incense sticks and holder, scented candles and a marble Ganesh idol put together in a designer handcrafted leather box.
“We believe in giving an exclusive experience to the people and thus each hamper is well curated, keeping in mind our target audience which are corporate people, business tycoons. All the products are hand-picked by Oberoi experts adding a culinary approach to it, making it hi-end and trendy. Since July end, we start getting orders in bulk and by August it goes sold out,” Mallika Dasgupta, Senior Manager Communications, The Oberoi, Gurgaon, and Trident, Gurgaon, tells you.
The other hamper called legends from latique costs Rs 2 lakh and includes the Indus Valley Collection from latique, a bottle of red wine, stuffed dates, homemade mithai, flavoured almonds, Ganesh idol, incense sticks and holder in a designer handcrafted box.
Then there are the Picnic in Bed hampers costing Rs 1.5 lakh! These include Sarita Handa bed linen, marble cheese board, Nicobar breakfast set, a set of Zalto glasses, a bottle of Dom Pérignon, homemade signature macarons, dark chocolates, some cheese crackers, artisanal cheese, scented candle, Ganesh idol compiled in a designer handcrafted box.
Priced at Rs 1,20,000, the Handpicked for Home hamper includes a bose speaker, silverware set, ornate tray, broken glass photo frame, forest essentials set, Mont Blanc cufflinks, TWG signature tea-taster set, signature Blue Tokai coffee beans and grinder, homemade cookies and chocolates, rare Himalayan honey, incense sticks and holder and Ganesh idol put together in a designer handcrafted box.
Getting the best from the lot, Crown Plaza’s customised hampers go up to Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000 offering a bottle of champagne and whiskey along with their in-house cheese, chocolates, cookies and much more. “We also have Spice Bar which is a box of different kinds of spices that is quite in demand amongst the foreigners. We also add a tea box and have launched a new variety called Signature Tea brand which is exclusively available at Crown Plaza,” Gaurav Sareen, Assistant restaurant manager, at Crown Plaza Today, Gurgaon, says.
French pastry and bakery chain l’Opéra has unveiled a new collection of luxury gift boxes and hampers for the Diwali season. Ranging from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000, the luxury box and hamper has something for everyone.
“We often put a lot of thought into choosing the perfect Diwali present for our loved ones, and l’Opéra has created a collection with as much thoughtfulness. Our new range of gift boxes and hampers that offer exquisite flavours of chocolate-coated dried fruits and coffee beans, freshly baked cookies, special tea blends, l’Opéra’s signature macaroons, chocolates, truffles, pralines, tea cakes, tangy cranberry, hot wasabi wrapped in chocolate and much more,” laurent Samandari, managing director of l’Opéra, says.
Soft as petal and a beautiful piece of art that can add charm to your persona and can be treasured for a lifetime, Wrap Studio has come up with a limited edition of Charkha Pashmina shawls for the luxury connoisseur. Completely hand spun, hand woven, hand painted and hand embroidered, each of these shawls has been crafted for six months keeping in mind the conceptualised idea and fashion trends. Available in colours like maroon, black and green, the price for the shawls starts from Rs 1 lakh.