In commemoration of India's Festival of Lights, Twitter introduced its first-ever Diwali emoji, which is a "diya" or lamp. The microblogging site invited Salman Khan and Sonam Kapoor during its launch Monday. The Bollywood actors star in the movie, "Prem Ratan Dhan Payo," which will be released during the holiday season, according to Hindustan Times
"We're excited to bring Indians together from all over the world to celebrate the festival and engage in conversations about their experiences and moments, in real time," Twitter said in an official statement.
The Diwali is one of the largest festivals in India and it celebrates the victory of good over evil. The diya emoji, which will appear every time users add #HappyDiwali to a tweet, symbolizes the triumph of brightness over darkness and truth over falsity, noted Twitter. Khan was among the first to use the new emoji in a tweet posted below.
Aap Sabhi Ko Prem Wali Diwali Mubarak Ho! #HappyDiwali #PRDP
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) November 9, 2015
The Diwali emoji is the second India-specific emoji released in just a week as the Indian government's #MakeInIndia campaign was given its own, effectively becoming the first non-U.S. brand to have an emoji, noted Mashable. All this appears to be a carefully developed strategy to make Twitter a more interactive platform. There is perhaps no better way of implementing it than engaging one of the world's most populous nation.
Ladies and gentlemen, Twitter launches the Emoji version of India's favourite lion from their global head quarters #MakeInIndia
— Make in India (@makeinindia) November 4, 2015
Twitter also announced a Diwali activity in the next few days. The company encourages users to Tweet Diwali-related photos with the hashtag #HappyDiwali. Tweets get the chance to be featured in a special Diwali mosaic, which will be unveiled on Thursday.
