Diwali gifts for colleagues: what to give the coworkers you sit with, from Rs 179, and the order-by dateDiwali gifts for colleagues: what to give the coworkers you sit with, from Rs 179, and the order-by date

A personal Diwali gift, not the company's

The company may already be sending a Diwali box. What you are choosing is the small thing you give the four or five people you actually work with every day. It should feel like Diwali, cost about what your colleagues spend, and be something their family can use on the night.

Wax diyas and tealights do that. Raajkosh hand-pours them in pure soy wax in Jalandhar, and they need no oil, so there is nothing to spill on the rangoli:

• Diya Candles, Rs 449 for 6 terracotta-red diyas with a carved lattice rim. The most Diwali-looking gift we make.
• Sunflower Tealights, Rs 449 for 10 ivory tealights in clear cups, each with a small yellow wax sunflower. Good for lining a balcony or steps.
• Daisy Tealights, Rs 449 for 10, mint and ivory or purple and ivory. For a colleague whose home is more pastel than traditional.
• Spiral Pillar Candles, Rs 179 each, if you are giving to a long row of people.

Order by 4 November

The store banner currently reads: "Order by 4 November for Diwali delivery". That is the store's own cut-off. We dispatch in 24 to 48 hours and delivery is 2 to 7 days after dispatch, so check the estimate for your pincode on the product page before you pay. If you are past that date, hand over the gift after Diwali with a note for Bhai Dooj or Dev Deepawali; diyas are lit right through the season.

Picking by the colleague

Not everyone at work celebrates Diwali. For them, a plain spiral pillar is a festive-season gift without a religious meaning.

Wrapping it so it looks like Diwali

A pack of wax diyas in a plain courier box does not look like a gift. Small touches fix that: a red or gold ribbon, a sprig of marigold tied to the box, or a little packet of rangoli colours tucked beside it. Write each colleague's name on a tag. If you are handing gifts over in the office, do it on the last working day before the holiday, when people are already in a festive mood and the sweets are going round.

The maths for four or five people

• Four colleagues, a pack of Diya Candles each: Rs 1,796, ships free.
• Five colleagues, Sunflower Tealights each: Rs 2,245, ships free.
• Two colleagues, one Diya pack and one Daisy pack: Rs 898, plus Rs 79 shipping. Add a Rs 179 spiral for a third person and the order comes to Rs 1,077, which ships free.

To look like a gift, use the gift packaging and gift note on the product page, or wrap each one yourself with a mithai box from the local halwai.

What else colleagues give each other at Diwali

Sweets and dry fruits are still the default, and a good local mithai shop is hard to beat for that. Other easy picks: a small plant, a pair of brass or clay diyas from a local market, chocolates, or a box of tea. Gifting portals deliver those fast in most cities. A wax diya set is the pick when you want the gift to be used on Diwali night itself and look handmade.

If your company wants the same gift for every employee with its logo, that is a company order: see Raajkosh corporate gifting, with a GST invoice and delivery to every address.

Paying, returns and the safe way to light them

Prepaid only by UPI, card, net banking or wallet; there is no cash on delivery. Free shipping from Rs 999, Rs 79 below. Report damage within 24 hours of delivery for a replacement or refund.

On the night: place diyas on a stable, heat-proof surface away from curtains and rangoli powder, trim each wick to about 5 mm, keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours, and never leave them burning in an empty room.