Soan Papdi who? These companies went big on Diwali gifts for employees this year

While Soan Papdi makes its usual rounds this Diwali, some companies had much bigger surprises lined up for their employees. From iPhones to gadgets and luxury gifts, here's a look at what offices handed out this festive season.These companies went big on Diwali gifts for employees this year (Photos: pi42india, durga_devi_shree/Instagram)New Delhi,Nov 10, 2026 12:44 ISTIf your Diwali gift is still making the rounds from one family member to another in the form of Soan Papdi, these office gifts might make you jealous. From iPhones and giant suitcases to back massagers and gadgets, companies went all out for their employees this Diwali.But this year, however, social media had a different message for companies: if your office is still giving you Soan Papdi, it might be time to resign.Instagram was filled with employees showing off their Diwali gifts, while founders and CEOs also joined in by revealing what they had kept on their employees' desks for the festival. And the gifts ranged from iPhones and suitcases to back massagers, speakers, earbuds and even a rather unusual golf-themed coin.So, what happened to Soan Papdi? The sweet has become almost synonymous with Diwali gifting because of its reputation as the gift nobody particularly asks for, but somehow everyone ends up receiving. It has also earned a reputation as the ultimate rotational gift, one box gets passed from one household to another, often without anyone actually opening it. That running joke appeared to spill into workplace Diwali gifting this year, with companies seemingly trying to make sure their employees got something they would actually use.An Udaipur-based startup, Influish, decided to skip the usual sweets and put something considerably more practical on its employees' desks. Instagram account The Viral Startup Office shared a video in which Influish co-founder Sankalp Nag showed viewers the company's Diwali gifts. He revealed that every employee was getting a Cult back massager worth nearly Rs 13,000, along with baked goodies and a soft comforter."People get tired sitting on their desks all day and working, so this back massager would definitely come in handy," Nag said while showing off the gifts.The idea seemed to land well online, with viewers praising the company for choosing gifts that employees could actually use rather than simply handing out another box of festive sweets.Meanwhile, a Delhi-based company took the phrase "a Diwali bonus" to another level by gifting iPhones to its employees.Financersaab, a company based in Rohini, shared an Instagram video showing the phones wrapped with decorative bows and placed neatly on employees' desks. The clip then showed employees holding their new iPhones and posing for the camera with huge smiles.It was, quite literally, the kind of Diwali unboxing that probably did not need much convincing.Pi42 Exchange, a crypto consultancy company, also shared a glimpse of its Diwali gifts, and its choice was a little less conventional.The company gave its employees a golf coin as their Diwali gift. A video shared by the company showed employees displaying the coin as part of the festive celebrations, giving the traditional Diwali gift a decidedly different spin.At Deloitte, employees appeared to have received a full festive hamper rather than one single gift.Durga Shree, a Deloitte employee, shared a video on Instagram showing the goodies she had received for Diwali. She laid everything out neatly, revealing a BlendJet mixer jar, Skullcandy Bluetooth earbuds, a bar speaker with RGB lights, a Milton tumbler and a selection of snacks.She captioned the post, "A little Diwali happiness from Deloitte!"KPMG, one of the world's major professional services firms, also made an appearance in the Diwali gift unboxing trend.Employee Kritika Gupta shared a video showing employees lining up to sign for and collect their Diwali presents. This one came in a rather large package, a Mokobara suitcase.The gift set also included a KPMG-branded wallet, a Borosil tumbler, a power bank and snacks, giving employees a mix of travel gear, everyday essentials and festive treats.And somewhere between the iPhones, speakers, suitcases and back massagers, the humble Soan Papdi appeared to have lost its usual starring role.For employees, these videos turned Diwali gifting into a little workplace show-and-tell, with people comparing what their companies had put on their desks.For companies, meanwhile, the trend offered a chance to make the festival feel a little more personal, and perhaps avoid becoming the office that brought out the dreaded Soan Papdi box again.After all, Diwali is about sharing happiness, and if that happiness happens to arrive in the form of an iPhone, a suitcase or a back massager instead of the same box of sweets making its 14th office-to-office journey, nobody seems to be complaining.- Ends