There is a hierarchy in Diwali sweets – some mithai is considered good, some not so good. While kaju katli, gulab jamun, chocolates, halwa burfi etc. are welcome, the poor soan papdi is not. It is the poor cousin in the Diwali gifting scheme of things. It is thought to be the most recyclable of Diwali sweets and horror of horrors, it is cheap and cheerful! It has such a bad rep that one Twitter user said this: I love Soan Papdi – Will this society accept me?
And we can be sure that the soan papdi memes are coming.
Or soan papdi day? We see heaps and heaps of the generic, mass-produced stuff in the shops each year.
…It must be Diwali.
There is a lot of giving and receiving of soan papdi. Is there any actual consuming?
Now WhatsApp chats bear the ‘Forwarded by many’ tag – maybe the same should apply to soan papdi as well?
Maybe, but how can one be sure it’s the same? There’s so much of it floating around!
Unlike say, burfi, soan papdi doesn’t spoil easily – so it is a kind of last-priority thing for sweet lovers.
Not sure that’s a good thing though.
Due to the peculiar texture of soan papdi, it isn't possible to eat as much of it at one go… as, say, gulab jamun.
If someone gifts soan papdi for Diwali, that person is definitely judged. Because aukat!
Some believe that it’s all about Karma – we get what we give.
…It’s a revenge gift – it sends out a message.
Soan papdi may just be OK – if it is accompanied by some other, more desirable gift.
It is the very least one can give – the sort of gift an employer would give to a lowly employee.
That’s Tinder India using the mithai metaphor for relationships.
Some love soan papdi.
People making jokes and taking potshots at soan papdi on Diwali is now a routine occurrence. #soanpapdi hashtags have been trending around this time of year for a while. But some don’t care – they love soan papdi.
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