Tanay Sukumar, November 3, 2010

An analysis of 100 kg of Diwali greeting cards collected from garbage all over India has revealed that many people are indulging in sending fake wishes to friends, family members and relatives.

“If you thought only milk cakes, petha and mawa can be contaminated, think again,” the psychologist who headed the survey team said. “We’ve observed that people’s feelings can also be severely adulterated in today’s life.”

Another team member explained: “The touch and the language of the card tell a lot about the feelings attached with it. Every card has a story to tell, which only our team can decode.”

While the final report has not yet been released, the team member told us about two cards on the condition of anonymity. “The most interesting sample we found was a set of ten Happy Holi cards sent for Diwali,” the member said. “All ten were sent from the same person. We believe the person hadn’t checked the card before sending. Besides, we saw that the ink used on the envelopes was that of an expensive pen, but the Holi cards inside were a year old and worth Rs 5 only.”

He added the story of another card, which was accompanied by a letter from a man to his elder brother who had now been promoted to a recruiting position at his office. The man even apologised for not being in touch for two years and said he was looking for a job. “The letter is heavily adulterated with contaminated feelings,” the team member said. “The words ‘Yours forever’ are like pesticides in mawa and milk.”