Full of seasonal goodwill (as always)

 5th October 2015    PR Guru 

I can't believe it is just about a month to Diwali and I have not seen a festive ad yet. Where are all the decorations in the shops? Why aren't the malls crowded with Diwali offers? I so love the build up to the end of the year, and it should start during dull old July once the summer holidays are over!

Lucky for me that I work in PR. In the world of PR, Diwali began ages ago, as we toil over exciting campaigns and think up imaginative ways to harness everyone's frenzy to fritter away their last rupees.

So if, like me, you just can't wait until those patakas start ringing, here are my favourite things about the season of lights and erm greed!

Toy campaigns
How I love the sound of the kids screaming for the latest must-have games console. I'll just increase the loans (now that RBI has finally cut the interest on it!) in order to pay for it.

Parties
Large firms plan these at least a year ahead, but in our office I am still waiting for an email from the poor chap who has to sort out this year's bash. Can't decide which is more fun, the cheap one we arrange in the local pub for our office, or the REALLY cheap one that we invite the journalists to. Or it would be cheap if they didn't drink so bloody much.

Cards
Thank goodness it has been decided that it is bad for the environment to send cards. Now you just get those annoying animated emails that light up. Can't wait. Ok I can. Please don't send me one.

Presents
Now this is tricky. Some journalists love 'em, some don't. But for those that do like a bit of bribery, they can be a bit sniffy if the wine isn't up to scratch. Apparently they need to drown their sorrows about their failing careers with the best Champagne.

Stuffing
Middle-age spread is endemic in the office as it is. I dread to think of how we'll look after the traditional seasonal overindulging. Just put those cameras away, but if you must, be careful what you paste online, don't want to upset the clients any more than we have to. After all, they may get a bit of a shock when they realise quite how much their Diwali campaign has cost.