Diwali is fast approaching, and with travel restrictions still in place, many Indians in Australia will be spending the holiday away from their loved ones for the second year in a row.
However, being separated from family won’t stop our ability to take part in the celebrations. There is still time to organise a gift to send to your family and friends overseas to show them that you are thinking of them and to celebrate together from afar.
These days, Diwali gifts can either be traditionally associated with the holiday, or be more modern and creative. As they say, it’s the thought that counts.
Here are some gift ideas that you can easily organise online to make the holiday feel special and celebrate the optimism and prosperity of the future for your loved ones abroad, no matter where they are.
1. Gift Hampers
Gift Hampers are a great gift that can be shared on Diwali. They are widely available online and can be customisable. Depending on who the hamper may be for, it can be filled with delicious treats like chocolate or Indian sweets like kaju katli and ladoo (laddu). If your recipient isn’t too keen on eating sweets, fill it with tea, candle holders and diyas, or beauty and grooming products. With the holiday quickly approaching, make sure you find a hamper service that is local and offers fast delivery.
2. Digital Gift Cards
Gift cards are perfect if you’re short on time, as you can now buy digital gift cards for most major retailers online. In lieu of the traditional gift of new clothes, giving a gift card that allows your loved one to pick out an outfit for the celebrations is a great option. Two days before Diwali is Dhanteras, traditionally a day for buying gold and jewellery, so alternatively you could buy a jewellery store gift card to help them finish off their festive outfit.
3. Food from a local vendor
Buying food from your family’s favourite local vendor is a nice way to give gifts during Diwali, especially for shops that don’t have gift cards, and it gives back to the local community hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.Consider using a money transfer service like WorldRemit to send money directly to their bank account. 95% of transfers are ready in minutes and WorldRemit prices are on average 46% cheaper than sending money abroad using traditional services.
4. Airtime Top-Up
To avoid expensive roaming costs (often highest for incoming calls) many people travelling or working in India buy a local prepaid SIM card. Prepaid mobile phones require ‘credit’, ‘talktime’ or ‘airtime’ so they can be used. Once the airtime runs out, the user won’t be able to make calls, send texts or access the internet until it has been topped up again. As a unique gift, consider WorldRemit’s Airtime Top-Up option and send a mobile recharge to your loved one so you can call them during Diwali without them having to pay for a costly incoming call or online data. 90% of WorldRemit airtime transfers are received in less than 10 minutes and mobile airtime can be added instantly to phones in India on: Airtel, Aircel, BSNL, Idea, Loop, MTS, Reliance, Tata Docomo, Tata Indicom, Uninor, Videocon GSM, Vodafone, Dish, Sun Direct, Tata Sky, and MTNL.
5. Money
Another simple and appreciated gift is money. Sending money to family and friends for Diwali celebrations can be a fast and easy way to show your appreciation. Money transfer companies offer a better, cheaper and more secure way to send money to India and hundreds of other countries. With WorldRemit, you can easily check the best time to send money with daily exchange rate notifications and recipients can also easily check the status of the transfer through their Transfer Tracker app, available via the Google Store. In most cases, your money transfer takes just minutes, making it perfect for on the day delivery.
“Making sure you can support and celebrate with your loved ones is a core reason WorldRemit exists,” said Scott Eddington, Managing Director of Asia-Pacific at WorldRemit.
“That’s why we’ve worked hard to ensure people can easily send money with 24/7 no-hassle transfers and customer support, and industry-leading safety standards, giving the customer control and transparency in the process.”
WorldRemit sends well wishes to all celebrating Diwali with friends and family this year, together or afar.
To learn more about digital remittances or how to send a money transfer for Diwali, visit worldremit.com.au
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#Diwali is fast approaching, & with travel restrictions in place, many Indians in 🇦🇺 will be spending the holiday away from loved ones. Here are some #gift ideas that you can easily organise online to make them feel special. #TheIndianSun @WorldRemit https://t.co/uPa0Z18jV2
— The Indian Sun (@The_Indian_Sun) October 21, 2021
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