A bright spark has come up with the idea of celebrating Diwali using a traditional Christmas tree to mark the festival of lights.
LONDON: A bright spark has come up with the idea of celebrating Diwali using a traditional Christmas tree to mark the festival of lights. The only difference is that the tree is shaped as an Om and has Hindu God Figurines dangling on it along with fairy lights and baubles.
Dr Anna Vincent, who came to Britain with her parents from Trinadad about four decades ago, came up with the novel idea of making the Om tree for herself and her family when she kept a vrath for the Goddess Laxmi 9 years ago. Since then she has received so many requests from friends both Hindu and Christian, that finally she has patented the product and has made it into a thriving business.
“I got the idea when I was meditating and I got up and rushed into the storage closet and got out an old Christmas tree and just fashioned an Om tree from my imagination,” Vincent told DNA.
Vincent, who has a doctorate in phsychology and teaches meditation, initially made all the trees herself but the demand far outstripped the supply. It was her business-savvy sons who advised her to patent her product which she has just done and set up her company DivaliOmTree Limited.
For the first time this Diwali, Vincent put her Om tree on the market by setting up a website and distributing fliers in homes. The response has been phenomenal. She has already sold 10,000 OM trees just for this Diwali and hopes the response will continue upto Christmas. “Obviously I can’t make such numbers myself, so we got in touch with some companies in India but there was no response,” explains Vincent.
But it was China who came to her rescue and a company has already sent her a batch of 20,000 OM trees complete with Hindu God figurines and lights.
The Om tree is being marketed for “a limited offer at only £49.99 plus post and packaging” and comes in an easily home-assemble form right to your door with figures of Shri Ganesh, Shri Shiva, Shri Bramha, Shri Vishnu and Ma Laxmi.
“My father was Hindu Pandit in Trinadad, known as Maharaj Vincent and I am doing it more for him than to make money,” said Vincent. Both of Vincent’s grandparents are from India. Her parents then migrated to London where Vincent has lived most of her life as a devout Hindu.
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