From phones, gadgets to khadi, it's a swadeshi Diwali this year

Global products with Made-in-India stamp drive sales

- SUGANDHA MUKHERJEE & VAISHALI DAR

A DECADE AGO, swadeshi meant khadi and handicrafts.

This Diwali, it looks very different: a family SUV rolling off a Pune assembly line, an iPhone 17 assembled in Bengaluru, or a Philips airfryer 'Made in India'.

As tariffs and geopolitics create an environment of uncertainty, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speeches has urged Indians to embrace swadeshi this festive season, saying "India's biggest adversary is dependence on other nations".

Diwali sales are expected to cross an all-time high of ₹4.75 lakh crore this year, driven largely by Indian-made goods.

The new GST reforms, aimed at supporting micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), have further encouraged the shift toward Indian-made products. Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and member of Parliament from Chandni Chowk, echoes the PM's sentiments.

"Every purchase of Indian-made goods is not just an act of celebration, but a contribution to strengthening the economy and empowering small traders," he said. "The trading community pledges that swadeshi products will be available in every shop. The only alternative to foreign goods will be swadeshi," CAIT has stated.

Swadeshi gets an impetus when perhaps one of the most coveted products, the latest iPhone, comes with a Made in India stamp. Just a few years ago, India was almost entirely an import market. Today, as per Canalys' data, devices assembled here account for 44% of US smartphone imports, up from 13% last year.