The festive season is upon us and, even with all the pollution and effects of the pandemic, the city is all geared up to make the most of it. However, even with markets and malls laden with goods and offers, and online retailers bringing in huge discounts, binge buying is not even close to optimum if we compare it to previous years.
With people becoming more conscious of what they buy, what they consume, and, more importantly, what they give out as gifts this year to their loved ones, it looks like there is a shift in the way things have been going on for decades. As someone who has been in book publishing for years, I understand quite well that creating tastes is as important as catering to existing ones. Therefore, while I have never been a mithai fan, it has been unimaginable to go through the festive season without it. However, not quite deliberately, this year, it has become imperative to explore and understand some of the most brilliant things entrepreneurs are doing on these lines, which are both responsible and innovative.
One such out-of-the-box idea is the artisanal cream cheese platters that are beautifully hand-crafted with a lot of thought and quality, and served with fresh and dried fruits, nuts, olives, lavaash, dips, cheese crackers, crostinis, etc, in a tray made with recycled board. “There are four types of cream cheese in each platter: green olives, mixed herbs, Mexican mix and burnt garlic, each of which are made fresh each day. The best part is that these are healthy and come with fruits, nuts, and many more accompaniments that can make an evening perfect for the family as well as for gifting,” says Anchal Garg, who is all of 25 and churns out these wonderful platters through her brand, Sweet Cravings from Next Door. What’s really heartening, however, is to see that entrepreneurship has nothing to do with age!
With the winters all set to come in with a vengeance this year and the kind of poisonous air we are forced to breathe in, teas and the traditional kadha have been a huge respite and even mandatory for some of us each day. The consumption of all kinds of tea has become a daily ritual for most of us—both for its preventive qualities as well as for its soothing, flavourful and ‘feel good’ properties. Be it green or masala or ginger or tulsi, or a combination of all, a range of teas is one of the best options to gift this year to our near and dear ones, that can see us through till the first quarter of 2021. What has also caught on in a bigger way are fruit and herbal teas, or blends of flowers like jasmine or rhododendron. Anamika Singh’s labour of love, Anandini Himalayan Teas, does a whole range of classic and fusion teas from her family tea gardens in Dharamshala.
She says, “Our land has blessed us with innumerable healing herbs, flowers, spices. From the abundance that grows, we have carefully selected some of the elements that are powerful and have helped to support and boost the immune system for centuries. Antioxidant-rich, these unique blends give the body vigour, vitality and immunity.” My personal favourite is The Pinewood Smoked tea, which is a strong black tea that is delicately smoked in a smoking room to add its characteristic aroma. It makes for a perfect evening tea with a dash of Bourbon or on its own. But the Immunity Booster, which is a combination of green tea, ashwagandha, turmeric, ginger, black pepper and Himalayan Tulsi, is a super cup and a winner all the way!
With a sudden change in lifestyle, most of us are also making a beeline for organic products. Sugar is out, and honey and jaggery are in! There’s a steep rise in the consumption of immunity boosters like ginger, lime, turmeric, and cloves to give our health and fitness top priority. Haldi sourced from the hills has a higher content of curcumin as compared to what we get in the cities, and it is in huge demand everywhere because of the stress on building immunity to fight seasonal diseases and the dreaded Covid. Similarly, things like organic honey infused with ginger, eucalyptus, multi-flowers, and chamomile tea are not only great for gifting this year, but also for personal use.
An organic range from WeEvolve by Moumita, who has been working tirelessly to source the best range of organic products for our wellbeing, says, “My family has been using Himmadhu products for years. It is this year that we decided to get the goodness down to the Delhi folks to help fight the smog, cold and pollution as best as possible.” The eucalyptus and ginger honeys are fantastic and can be consumed every morning and before going to bed to fight the city conditions. They are also delicious with no trace of added sugar, which is just what we need, at very affordable prices.
Yes, festivals will be celebrated this year with a difference—and in a big way. To begin with, there is a lot of focus on health now, which people have finally taken cognizance of as the real wealth. Even with a ban on crackers pan-India again, for reasons pertaining to the rapidly deteriorating air quality in the city, what is great news is that this year people are trying to restrain themselves too, instead of looking for ways and means to source them. There is also a rapid change in terms of the hoarding of dry fruits and mithais for both gifting and consumption during the season. People are shifting towards real foods, fresh and organic, so that they can remain healthy even after all the festivities are over. Despite the odds, it looks like the festive season will be bright after all.