Air freshener plants the new gift to celebrate an eco-friendly Diwali

GURUGRAM: It is that time of the year when Diwali gifts are exchanged between families, neighbours and friends to spread festive joy.

While dry fruits, chocolate packets and glassware items retain their popularity, a new item has caught the fancy of shoppers across the Capital.

Taking note of the poor air quality in Delhi–NCR, many residents of Gurugram this time are gifting air freshener plants to their near and dear ones. Not only are these plants proving to be reasonable at price, but their significance in terms of health has grown manifolds over the years.

At a time when air purifiers are still beyond the reach of many and priced anywhere between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh, the focus is shifting towards air freshner plants.

Several NCR residents are frequenting nurseries, and even ordering such plants online.

The most popular among such plants include Areca, money plant and snake plants, which have been identified as natural cleaners and an effective medium of tackling outdoor as well as indoor pollution.

Others air freshening plants include Bonsai trees, Aloe Vera and Azadirachta indica also known as Neem.

The cost per plant start from Rs 50 and extend upto Rs 700 and beyond.

The usage of air freshener plants has also gained popularity among the multinational companies in Gurugram, with many offices of multinational companies using them in large numbers.

"While there is a lot of hue and cry on the state of outdoor pollution, the fact remains that even indoor pollution is extremely severe. I, therefore, felt that this time presenting an air freshener plants can be one of the most relevant gifts I give," said Geetika Khanna, a Gurugram resident.

"You can have your opinion of whether it can prove its utility or not in cleaning the air. But it does have an advantage of providing greenery indoors, something that is fast diminishing in the urban landscape," she added.