It is that
time of the year again when India is gripped with Diwali fever and while the
coronavirus pandemic has forced us to water down the celebrations a touch, it
has done little to dampen spirits. 

Aside from
the lights and the crackers, an essential part of Diwali is to share gifts
among friends and family and with the pandemic curbing gatherings and limiting
travel options, a little box of happiness can go a long way to keep the spirit alive.

Let’s take
a look at a few ideas for Diwali gifts this year:

1. Air Purifiers

With air
quality rapidly deteriorating over the years, an air purifier is a must-have,
especially if one lives in the Delhi-NCR region or anywhere in North India for
that matter.

According
to IQAir AirVisual’s 2019 World Air Quality (WAQ) report, 21 of top 30 cities in
the world with the worst air quality are in India, with as many as six in the
top 10. Hence, a quality air purifier with HEPA filters will make for an ideal
Diwali gift this year.

2. PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X

The video game industry is one of the few to have actually benefitted from the pandemic as
it has forced everyone to adapt to a life within the confines of our homes, and
gaming giants Sony and Microsoft are looking to make the most of it in this
holiday season.

Both firms are
slated to launch the ninth-generation consoles next week and although a bit on
the expensive side, either will make for a sweet Diwali gift for any gaming
fanatic.

3. Video Games

If you do
not plan to upgrade your consoles to the latest ones just yet or prefer PC
gaming, there are a number of blockbuster titles that have launched recently or
will be in the coming weeks to keep gaming enthusiasts locked in front of their
screens.

From PlayStation exclusives like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and The Last of
Us 2 to cross platform games such as FIFA 21, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and many more, there are plenty of options to choose from and they are guaranteed
to make any gamer, casual or hardcore, elated.

4. Smartwatches

Wearable
gadgets are becoming the new trend with smartwatches at the forefront. Apart
from telling the time in thousands of different ways, they can be super handy
for health-conscious people.

From tracking sleep cycles, heartbeats and blood pressure and alerting medical
services in the event of an emergency, smartwatches can do it all. And there
are plenty of options to choose from as well.

If you are
a ‘machead’ look no further than the series of Apple watches, the latest of which
are the Apple Watch 6 and SE. If not, there’s the Xiaomi Mi Watch Revolve, the
Huawei Watch GT 2, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, Oppo Watch and Fitbit Versa 2
among the latest in smartwatches to choose from.

5. Amazon/Flipkart gift cards

In case you
cannot make up your mind or are otherwise unsure of the preferences of the
person you want to send the gift to, you can simply send them a gift card from online
shopping portals such as Amazon and Flipkart.

These gift
cards allow a person to buy anything they want to within a specific budget,
which can vary from as little as Rs 500 to Rs 10,000 or even more, thus making
for ideal Diwali gifts.