Have We Lost 'Pehle Wali Diwali'? Two Brothers India Farms Explores How India's Favourite Festival Has Changed Through a Social Experiment

India, 29th October 2026: When was the last time the entire family came together to prepare Diwali faral? Or neighbours gathered to make rangolis, relatives dropped by with homemade sweets, and the same carefully preserved kandil was brought out year after year?

These are some of the memories that emerged when Two Brothers India Farms set out to explore a simple question: Do Indians miss the way Diwali used to be celebrated?

For its latest festive initiative, 'Pehle Wali Diwali,' the brand moved away from conventional scripted advertising and conducted an unscripted social experiment featuring five real families from different regions and socio-economic backgrounds across India. With no actors or staged conversations, the experiment captured how families remember celebrating Diwali, what has changed over the years and which traditions they wish they could bring back.

What emerged was a shared sense of nostalgia for the simple moments that made earlier celebrations special.

In the films, participants revisit memories of making decorations by hand, preparing festive delicacies at home, dressing up, visiting relatives and celebrating with neighbours. Their recollections bring alive a time when the preparations were as much a part of Diwali as the festival itself.

The conversations also highlight a generational shift. While older family members recall celebrations centred around shared activities and neighbourhood gatherings, younger participants reflect on how changing lifestyles and routines have shaped the festive experience. Yet, one sentiment stood out across all five families: while the way people celebrate Diwali may have changed, their desire to spend meaningful time together has not.

The nostalgia, however, isn't simply about returning to the past. It is about rediscovering the joy of participation, making something together rather than buying it, visiting someone rather than simply sending a gift, and keeping traditions alive through shared experiences.

Food remains central to many of these memories. For generations, preparing Diwali faral was a family ritual, with recipes passed down, ingredients chosen with care and kitchens bringing multiple generations together. Making chakli, laddoos, chivda and other festive delicacies was as much about the experience as the food itself.

With Pehle Wali Diwali, Two Brothers India Farms brings this tradition to life by capturing the families preparing homemade faral using the brand's ingredients, while encouraging more families to rediscover the joy of cooking together and bring back the rituals that made Diwali special.

Speaking about the thought behind the initiative, Satyajit Hange, Co-founder & Farmer, Two Brothers India Farms, said, "When we asked families what they missed about Diwali, they didn't talk about expensive gifts or grand celebrations. They remembered cooking together, visiting neighbours and spending time with family. It reminded us that while our lives have become more convenient, some experiences simply cannot be replaced. Through Pehle Wali Diwali, we want to encourage families to bring back those little traditions that made the festival so special."

Adding to this, Ajinkya Hange, Co-founder & Farmer, Two Brothers India Farms, said, "Food has always been at the heart of our festivals. Earlier, families took pride in preparing everything at home, choosing the best ingredients and passing recipes from one generation to the next. Today, convenience has changed a lot of that. At Two Brothers, we believe people should know their food better, understand where it comes from and how it's made. This Diwali, we hope more families rediscover the joy of preparing food together, using ingredients they know and trust."

Beyond the personal stories, the experiment raises a larger question about how changing lifestyles are reshaping India's festive traditions, and what it might take to keep them alive for future generations.

For Two Brothers India Farms, whose philosophy is rooted in traditional farming practices, clean-label and minimally processed ingredients, this connection comes naturally. The brand believes that food carries memories, knowledge and traditions across generations. By letting real families lead the narrative, the initiative brings this philosophy to life without making the products the focus of the story. 

Through Pehle Wali Diwali, Two Brothers India Farms extends an invitation to households across India to bring back one tradition they remember fondly. It could be preparing a favourite Diwali recipe with parents, drawing a rangoli together, taking out an old kandil or visiting a neighbour with something homemade.

Because perhaps Pehle Wali Diwali isn't something we've lost. It's something we can still bring back.

Campaign film: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

About the brand:

Two Brothers India Farms (Two Brothers) is a farmer-owned food company from India, founded by brothers Satyajit and Ajinkya Hange in 2014, who left their corporate careers to return to their ancestral farm in Bhodani, Maharashtra. What began with two brothers going back to farming has grown with a simple idea at its heart: to be the family farmer for every household, bringing food directly from farmers to the people who eat it.

Two Brothers believes people should know their food better: where it comes from, how it is grown, how it is made and who is behind it. The brand works to shorten the distance between farmer and consumer, while bringing back food traditions passed down by our ancestors, rooted in traditional practices, minimally processed and made with ingredients people know and understand.

This philosophy begins with the soil. Through regenerative natural farming, Two Brothers works to restore soil health, revive traditional agricultural knowledge and preserve the integrity of food, from Cultured ghee, Khapli Atta, cold-pressed oils to native grains, jaggery and everyday pantry staples. Today, the company works with thousands of farming families across India, connecting them more directly with households in India and around the world. With Two Brothers, you know your food better.

Why are they doing this:

Our food system is broken and needs healing- people don’t know what they eat, how it’s grown and who grows it. Two Brothers is fixing it by growing clean food and bringing it back to every single home in the world. The brand wants people to stop consuming for convenience, and start consuming mindfully because their bodies deserve much better. Our enemy is the broken food system.