Nagpur: Online money transfer and e-commerce apps came in handy for siblings as they shared gifts on Bhaubeej or Bhai Dooj, traditionally considered as the last day for Diwali festivities. Some ordered the favourite chocolates of their siblings or polished a festival greeting with AI through an app on their smartphone.The gift, known as “ovalani”, follows the “aukshan” ceremony, during which a sister applies a tilak to her brother’s forehead, circles a lit diya before him and prays for his well-being. Rishikesh Gulhane from Mahal sent his sister Rs1,101 through UPI. “Till last year, when we weren’t earning, our mother would give us an envelope with cash and a one-rupee coin tucked inside. This year, I sent the money to my sister through UPI as I didn’t have any cash,” he said.A Dharampeth resident, Vedika Mhende, turned to quick e-commerce shopping after her brother made his preference clear right before the tilak ceremony. “He didn’t want a shirt that I was planning to gift him. He told me he was craving chocolates, so I ordered a whole lot of them. He likes to read, so I bought him a book too. Everything arrived at home in under 10 minutes. So before we finished our food after the tilak, he had his gifts,” Mhende said.For Geetika, the phone was already part of the festival. She and her brother, who lives in Pune, would speak over a video call, and she made it a point to write him a message every Bhaubeej. This year, she turned to AI after writing the first draft herself. “I wanted to say a little more this time. My thoughts were all over the place. An AI tool helped me put them together into something I was happy to send him,” Geetika said.
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