Hyderabad: A bizarre incident has gone viral on social media after a group of employees allegedly threw boxes of Soan Papdi—their company’s Diwali gift—at the office gate in protest. The video, shared widely across X (formerly Twitter), shows workers discarding the traditional Indian sweet in frustration, sparking a heated online debate about corporate gifting culture. The post, captioned “Diwali kalesh. A company gave its employees the most hated alleged mithai called Soan Papdi,” quickly gained traction, with thousands of users commenting on whether the act reflected justified disappointment or sheer disrespect toward food.

While many netizens condemned the act as ungrateful and culturally insensitive, others sided with the employees, calling Soan Papdi the “universal symbol of corporate laziness.” One comment read, “Anyone who insults food during a festival is not Hindu—gifts are a goodwill gesture, not an obligation.” Another user, however, quipped, “Every Diwali, Soan Papdi completes its annual migration from one box to another. These employees just disrupted the ecosystem.” The reactions highlighted India’s growing online obsession with comparing Diwali corporate gifts—ranging from expensive gadgets and vouchers to budget snacks and symbolic sweets.

The viral episode has reignited conversations about how corporate gifting often exposes class divisions and misplaced expectations within workplaces. While Soan Papdi remains an affordable and widely distributed festive item, it has also become a meme-worthy representation of uninspired Diwali gifts. Some users humorously demanded an “emotional damage” compensation for those receiving it, saying, “Nobody deserves that dry disappointment wrapped in golden lies.” As social media continues to mock the incident, it also underlines a deeper truth — how modern employees increasingly equate festive gestures with corporate respect, and how easily tradition can turn into trending controversy in the digital age.