Key Highlights

• New role: Twinkle Khanna calls herself a “candle wali” as she works on a Diwali gifting collection.
• Writing first: “Writing will always be my main gig,” she says.
• Her home’s scent: “Mine smells like a basket of mogra.”
• Fan poll: She asked followers to choose: champa, mogra or sandalwood?

Author Twinkle Khanna has given fans a peek at her festive preparations, sharing photos of herself writing and making candles.

“I’m a jack of many trades and the master of one. Writing will always be my main gig but between deadlines, I also became a candle wali,” she wrote on Instagram.

She said she has been working on a Diwali gifting collection, “an excuse to play with fragrances, jars, labels, and ribbons. Clearly, I need my glasses now to make sure everything is indeed perfect.”

“Mine Smells Like a Basket of Mogra”

“The first thing you notice when you walk into a home is the fragrance. Mine smells like a basket of mogra,” she wrote, before asking, “Now I want to know what you think a Diwali candle should smell like? Champa? Mogra? Sandalwood?”

Why It Matters: Diwali Is Becoming a Season of Scents

Alongside diyas and sweets, scented candles have become a popular Diwali gift, and Indian floral and woody notes are at their heart. Mogra recalls summer evenings and puja flowers, champa the richness of temple incense, and sandalwood a sense of ritual and calm. Choosing a festive fragrance is, in a way, choosing a festive memory.

Diwali Candle Safety Tips

• Keep candles away from curtains, decorations and anything flammable.
• Place them out of reach of children and pets.
• Never leave lit candles unattended, especially during busy celebrations.
• Use a stable, heat-resistant surface.

From Actor to Bestselling Author

Twinkle’s “master of one” is writing. After her film career, she worked as an interior designer and began writing newspaper opinion columns, which were later collected in her first book.

One story in The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad, based on social entrepreneur Arunachalam Muruganantham, inspired the film Pad Man.

She also holds a master’s degree in fiction writing from Goldsmiths, University of London, which she completed in 2024, and co-hosts the talk show Two Much with Kajol and Twinkle on Prime Video.

Your Turn

What should Diwali smell like: the sweetness of mogra, the warmth of sandalwood or the richness of champa?

[Reader poll: Champa / Mogra / Sandalwood]

The Bottom Line

Between book deadlines and candle jars, Twinkle Khanna is a reminder that a festive season can be built as much on fragrance as on light.

Twinkle Khanna’s post has been sourced from her official Instagram account.