Why the popularity of ‘doston ki Diwali’ is reason for cheer

After two years of a covid-struck festival season, Diwali in 2022 felt like a pleasurable return to the buzz of togetherness, gin-fuelled card parties, gift-giving and general festive merriment.

- SHRAYANA BHATTACHARYA

Researching my next book on the economics of frivolity and fun in India—spending on food, flowers, booze and fashion around festival season remains a vital growth engine across all classes of our consumer economy—I spent the past month interviewing several Residents Welfare Association (RWA) members, young professionals, street vendors, liquor shop owners, and various small-scale businesses offering services to help organise celebrations across different neighbourhoods in Delhi. I was curious to learn how they felt Diwali had changed over the years, particularly after the pandemic.

From RWA Uncles to the local phool-wallahs, everyone I interviewed had similar complaints about prices and predatory policemen. They were also united in highlighting an important demographic trend: the steady rise of single working professionals who spend as much money and time on celebrating with friends as they would for a traditional Diwali with relatives. While this ‘doston ki diwali’ existed in the past, the budgets and frequency seemed to have increased over the past. For the RWA Uncles, this phenomenon was a nuisance — they felt the need to regulate the number and noise of such parties, fearful that single folks were turning Diwali into an excuse for sex-crazed debauchery.