The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was merge‎ to Asaram. Valereee and others are correct in asserting that it doesn't matter whether the festival is recognized, fabricated, new, inauthentic or societally risky. However, I see a rough consensus among those who engaged with the sources and are familiar with our notability guidelines that the sources that are reliable did not offer SIGCOV beyond the scope of the proposed merge target. Owen× ☎ 12:23, 3 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Tulsi Pujan Diwas (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log | edits since nomination)

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As per Hindu tradition, no recognized observance is known as Tulsi Pujan Diwas. This so-called event is a fabricated concept introduced and propagated by a convicted individual to influence public perception and shape a narrative to serve personal or ideological interests. True Hindu customs and rituals have evolved over centuries through deeply rooted spiritual and cultural practices, and any attempt to artificially engineer or impose new observances without a historical or scriptural basis raises concerns. Such efforts to modify religious beliefs and practices through deliberate social engineering not only lack authenticity but also pose a risk of distorting traditional faith and misleading followers. Therefore, the legitimacy and intent behind such artificially created events remain highly questionable. Charlie (talk) 10:59, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Fictional elements and India. Charlie (talk) 10:59, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Weak delete Keep or merge to Asaram I found one academic reference but it's from a small local journal whose provenance I have no information about. [3] It does show up as a reference in a few books but only ever in the context of Asaram Bapu there is some news coverage of the festival but all of it comes from local press which means it's not particularly widespread coverage. I could be persuaded to keep if there are sources I'm missing but this is a marginal case. Simonm223 (talk) 11:55, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  [4] doesn't look local. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 12:05, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Very little of what you (OP) said is reason to delete a WP-article. Failing WP:N is the basic reason to delete. If there are WP:RS that notes criticism of this festival, perhaps that can be added too. Per Tulsi Pujan Diwas 2024: Date, rituals, and significance (India Today), other views than yours exist. That said, there may be reason to delete, or merge to Tulasi in Hinduism or another article. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 12:26, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

A merge to Tulasi in Hinduism seems an appropriate outcome here. That concedes there's something notable here but possibly not enough to sustain an article. Simonm223 (talk) 12:29, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Refining my !vote on the basis of the discussion below. Simonm223 (talk) 11:56, 3 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Religion and Hinduism. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 12:29, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• I'll stick to sources in English, it's harder for me to guess WP:RS-ness of others. I looked at these:
  • India-West 2017 "Tulsi Pujan Diwas Celebrated by Hundreds in Bay Area". It's in the WP-library, short but on-topic.
  • The Economic Times 2022 [5]
  • The Hans India 2023 [6]
  • India Today 2024 [7]
  • The Times of India 2024 [8]
  • I also found an interesting comment in The Hindu I put in the article[9].
  • Per these, I'm at weak keep. It would be nice to have something more academic, but it's a relatively new thing and I'm told the originator is otherwise engaged. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 15:00, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Weak keep - I too would like to see more academic sources, but it looks like there are somewhat reliable sources on the topic as described above. Gommeh (talk/contribs) 18:46, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Merge into Asaram Bapu, where an appropriate sentence can be added. We have enough sources to attest that Asaram Bapu promulgated this festival in 2014 (eg, [10]) but little independent reliable sourcing of anything else.

Despite superficial appearances of the sources listed above, there is no evidence of the "festival" being celebrated widely or its notability independent of Asaram Bapu. Most/all of news articles cited are mere re-publications of press releases and third-party content as should be obvious from reading the puff-pieces or noting the disclaimer at the bottom of the Economic Times article. See also WP:NEWSORGINDIA on how this is a common, often unmarked, practice in Indian media and does not contribute to the subject's notability.

And this article in a newly formed journal with a single issue is neither a reliable source, nor is it talking about the subject of the wikipedia article; the "Tulsi Pujan Diwas" it is referring to falls on "eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Kartik month (also known as Dev Uthani Ekadashi)", ie roughly mid-November as opposed to the Christmas-alternative established by Asaram Bapu. Abecedare (talk) 20:02, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

That refers to Tulasi Vivaha, which is the actual event according to Hindu traditions. Charlie (talk) 04:25, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep. The sources found by GGS seem to indicate that there is sufficient notability for this to be kept, if barely, and the nomination feels much more like a case of WP:RIGHTGREATWRONGS rather than based in Wikipedia policy. - The Bushranger _{One ping only} 20:03, 26 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Comment The origin of Tulsi Pujan Diwas is very recent; it started by Asaram on 25 December 2014 (Hindi). Despite this, he and his sect have been declared fake by the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, the apex organization of Hindu sants (saints) and sadhus (ascetics) in India. This event should not be mistaken for Tulasi Vivaha, which is, in fact, the primary and sole event observed by Hindus on the day of Kartika Purnima. Charlie (talk) 04:21, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep. It doesn't matter whether the observance is recognized. It doesn't matter whether it's fabricated, or why, or by whom. It doesn't matter whether it's new, lacks authenticity or poses a societal risk. What matters is whether it is notable. Valereee (talk) 13:49, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Comment Being receptive to Valereee and GGS' comments I'm changing my !vote from weak deletion to weak keep or merge. I still feel the citations might be a bit scant for a full article but it's clear there's at least some minimal notability here. Simonm223 (talk) 13:52, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Merge to Asaram, Tulasi in Hinduism, and/or Tulsi. The religious significance of the plant in various branches of Hinduism isn't in doubt, and there is lots of source material about it, including scholarly sources (which indeed is why Tulasi in Hinduism exists). But much of the material I'm seeing related to this title refers to the general phenomenon of religious belief or ritual related to the plant, not to this specific observance. The article as it stands has three sentences related specifically to this observance, and I cannot find anything else citeable to reliable, intellectually independent sources. As such a standalone article is not justified: the announcement of the observance can be sufficiently documented at Asaram, and the ritual at Tulasi in Hinduism: the satire does not strike me as encyclopedic. TL:DR; Contra several colleagues above, there isn't SIGCOV specific to this observance, only to the place of this plant in Hindu belief and practice. Vanamonde93 (talk) 17:52, 27 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Merge to Asaram. It is still far behind the minimum requirement when it comes to meeting WP:GNG. Dympies (talk) 00:57, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Delete The article on Tulsi Pujan Diwas fails to meet Wikipedia’s core policies for inclusion, particularly the General Notability Guidelines (WP:GNG), as it lacks substantial coverage from multiple, independent, and reliable sources. The observance itself was created in 2014 by Asaram Bapu, making it a recent and artificially introduced event rather than an organically evolved tradition within Hinduism. Unlike established Hindu festivals such as Tulasi Vivaha, which has deep-rooted religious and scriptural significance, Tulsi Pujan Diwas exists only within the sphere of Asaram Bapu’s influence and has not gained broad cultural or religious acceptance outside his following. The sources cited in support of the article are largely press releases and promotional content, violating Wikipedia’s guidelines on reliable sourcing (WP:NEWSORGINDIA) and neutral point of view (WP:NPOV), as Indian media often republish unverified statements without editorial scrutiny. This observance has not been the subject of scholarly research or detailed academic discussion, which further weakens its claim to notability, as Wikipedia prioritizes topics with long-term, independent significance rather than temporary, sect-specific practices. Additionally, per Wikipedia’s event notability policy (WP:EVENT), Tulsi Pujan Diwas does not have a sustained impact or independent historical validation, making its existence on Wikipedia tenuous at best. Flyingphoenixchips (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 03:37, 28 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep Many news papers are deliver the massage to society celebration of "Tulsi Pujan Divas" on the 25 December .^[1]

Times of India a public authentic news paper also says importance of Tulsi Pujan Divas and were celebrated by uncountable people last year and from many past years. ^[2]. According to you if imagine only a particular following are celebrating a particular festival widely in world on same day then are they not part of world or countable in world? But Reality it that in society ,government Schools, collage, Hindu's home are celebrating 25 December Tulsi Pujan Divas and many others religions also worship and lightning lamp to live plant of Tulsi instead plastic tree. lot of videos are available on internet in behalf of celebrating Tulsi Pujan Divas on 25 December.

• delete per policy based explanation by Flyingphoenixchips. This is not actually traditional/historical event/day. Started by a self proclaimed guru with a large following. Recently, Indian digital media has become churnilism, they cover literally anything. This particular topic lacks significant coverage in reliable sources to establish notability. —usernamekiran (talk) 15:08, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Comment Another piece of coverage, [11], Sabrang Communications 2020. I'm not sure what WP:GNG-weight it has, but it's certainly independent of the subject. 2014 RSN-discussion:[12] Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 17:11, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep If this was started in 2014, 10 years should be wide enough ambit to independently define notability of this event outside WP:RECENTISM . We can find coverage for Tulsi Pujan Diwas in news articles and journals. For example this paper^[3] published in 2022 primarily around Origin and significance of Tulsi discusses existence of Tulsi Poojan Diwas and finds no harm in dedicating one more day to her Nisingh.8 (talk) 17:38, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  @Nisingh.8: The "journal" IJIRT is a paid-publishing scam and the article you cite is gibberish with content cut-n-pasted randomly from the internet, eg from this 2019 astrology site, including the sentence Talk to our expert for more information. Abecedare (talk) 18:01, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  According to them they're approved by University Grants Commission (India). Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 18:10, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  They aren't fwiw (can check here after registration). Don't know if the screenshot is doctored or if their registration was canceled at some point. Abecedare (talk) 18:43, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Just so everyone knows, the University Grants Commission (UGC) in India has stopped maintaining the UGC-CARE journal list because many low-quality and fake journals had entered it. I recently worked on updating its Wikipedia page. It's best to avoid journals that were on this discontinued list. Charlie (talk) 13:20, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Some text copied from here, which seems might be interesting for WP-use. Actually, it seems a clear GNG-point, DailyO. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 18:18, 29 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Many journals approved by the University grants commissions are predatory. Kindly see: https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2020/02/05/indias-fight-against-predatory-journals-an-interview-with-professor-bhushan-patwardhan/

  UGC list means nothing @Abecedare@Gråbergs Gråa Sång Flyingphoenixchips (talk) 05:12, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep As per WP:RS event seems to be notable. It has substantial coverage from multiple sources including BBC in 2107^[4]. These 2023^[5] and 2024^[6] articles also cover and describe rituals and significance of Tulsi Pujan Diwas Krishnpriya123 (talk) 05:55, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  The BBC is a good find, another GNG-point. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:49, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  The BBC Hindi article does not establish notability for Tulsi Pujan Diwas under Wikipedia’s guidelines. While BBC is generally a reliable source per WP:RS, the specific article in question fails to provide significant coverage as required by WP:GNG. It is a brief news report that mentions Tulsi Pujan Diwas in passing rather than analyzing its historical significance, cultural impact, or widespread observance. Per WP:ROUTINE, one-time or minor coverage of an event does not establish lasting notability. The article does not indicate that Tulsi Pujan Diwas has recognition from major religious authorities, government bodies, or independent scholars. Furthermore, Wikipedia requires multiple independentsources providing in-depth analysis, not just a single fleeting mention in a general news report. Therefore, this source alone is insufficient to justify a standalone Wikipedia article. @Krishnpriya123 Flyingphoenixchips (talk) 05:18, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  The BBC article does provide significant coverage (some context, even), like several other linked in this afd. It's not, per definition, by itself enough for WP:GNG since that guidance states "multiple sources are generally expected", but it's an argument in favor. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 06:29, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Per GNG, Significant coverage "addresses the topic directly and in detail". The BBC Hindi article does that, it also does not stop at brief news coverage, but covers in detail the viewpoints from the originator on starting of this day, historical context on when/why this was started. It also covers additional viewpoints of Minister, GOI Mahesh Sharma, Central Government Minister Giriraj Singh, and general social media buzz that this event created. BBC also analyzes this concept in conjunction with other events in India on same day.

  Agree, single news source should not stand up complete article, but I found BBC when searching through news articles on the topic and together with other sources, added my keep-points here. Krishnpriya123 (talk) 13:59, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Delete - Churnalist coverage by Indian media doesn't mean much, see WP:NEWSORGINDIA, Indian media would cover everything as news if they get paid and therefore coverage from Indian media should be discarded. There's no coverage about this day in scholarly sources. CharlesWain (talk) 14:12, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep: The festival seems to be celebrated widely and has recognized observance. Many schools include Tulsi Pujan Diwas in their yearly calendar as extra curricular event or celebration. As such this event finds notability and seems to be of impact to audience in India.
  • https://www.millenniumschools.co.in/cheeka/gallery/worshippingtulsi-considered-very-auspicious-hindutraditions-many-people-start-their-day
  • https://www.surajschool.com/blog/tulsi-diwas-celebration/
  • https://www.happyvalleyrohtak.com/uncategorized/tulsi-pujan-divas/
  • https://bohrapublicschool.org/portfolio/bhagwat-gita-mahotsav-and-tulsi-pujan-diwas-2023/ Rupesh Kumar Saigal (talk) 16:24, 30 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  The provided sources are school websites, which are self-published and fail to meet the standards of WP:RS (Reliable Sources). Wikipedia requires coverage from reputable third-party sources such as national newspapers, academic publications, or government records, none of which are present here. As per WP:INDISCRIMINATE, routine celebrations in schools do not inherently establish encyclopedic significance. Additionally, the lack of substantial coverage in independent sources suggests that Tulsi Pujan Diwas is either a recent or localized event, failing the requirement of sustained notability per WP:EVENT. Without evidence of historical significance, cultural impact, or widespread recognition beyond isolated mentions, the article does not justify inclusion on Wikipedia. Flyingphoenixchips (talk) 05:16, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Rupesh Kumar Saigal (talk) 11:00, 1 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  My listing above was to indicate that if multiple schools have adopted this event across different geo-locations this can be counted as continued impact and significance. Which means this event was not invented by the creator and is only known to creator. But unrelated or unaffiliated groups have also observed this event. Rupesh Kumar Saigal (talk) 11:12, 1 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep: This article meets the WP:GNG criteria. The deletion discussion seems to have been initiated with a limited understanding of the subject and certain incorrect assumptions or WP:DLS. The initiator's perspective does not fully align with the core concept of this article and its significance. Notably, this topic has gained vast recognition, with widespread observance in schools, colleges and public spaces. Multiple reliable and independent sources have been shared providing substantial coverage, reinforcing its notability and importance. PragyaanRover (talk) 09:32, 31 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]
• Keep: Not traditional/historical event/day is not a ground for deletion. As such, Wikipedia is not a historical archive alone. Can find independent coverage such as here^[7] or here^[8] PriyasVP (talk) 16:12, 1 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  This is actually an excellent demonstration of why we shouldn't have a standalone article. First off, both these articles have virtually identical content: they are clearly repackaging the same announcement or press release. Beyond that, though, nothing in these articles is specific to this observance: all of the content is related to Tulasi in Hinduism, plus some medicine-adjacent content that we cannot use because of WP:MEDRS. Even an article ostensibly about "Tulsi Pujan Diwas" has no content about this observance. Vanamonde93 (talk) 16:31, 1 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Delete - Almost all of the coverage is typical run of the mill churnalism associated with Indian media (WP:NEWSORGINDIA). As per the guidance, almost all of it should be discarded and when done very little remains about this made up day. There are no scholarly sources covering this topic, it can also be redirected to Asaram#Teachings_and_views, where it is given the WP:DUE weight as required by the policies. Ratnahastin (talk) 10:46, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Delete per nom. The topic is not notable outside Asaram. ZDRX _{(User) | (Contact)} 11:11, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep: Tulsi Pujan Diwas is widely celebrated across India, and it is covered in multiple independent sources [13]. Wiki is not a place to hide a widely adopted concept just because the initiator of that concept is under question, This is especially to focus on the fact that the initiator of this discussion is forgetting the neutral point of view WP:NPOV policy GarimaSuha (talk) 16:19, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep: This is not a promotional article. This is a notable event. The discussion is not on Asaram Bapu, reminding the I don't like it Policy of Wiki WP:IDONTLIKEIT If a person was convicted does not mean all his initiatives will be ignored.

Here I will focus on historical validation of this event, as was pointed out by one person who voted for delete:

1. Coverage year 2017: This event was started in 2014 as stated by BBC in its report of 25th Dec 2017 [14]

2. Year 2019: Tulsi Puja Instead of Christmas Celebration: People Raise Their Voice on Social Media [15]

3. Year 2020: Bulandshahr Women Celebrated Tulsi Pujan Diwas [16]

4. Year 2021: Satya Sanatan Sanstha Organizes Padyatra on Tulsi Pujan Diwas[17] [18]

5. Year 2022: Tulsi Pujan Diwas 2022: Date, December 25 – Significance, Puja Vidhi, and Remedies[19][20]

6. Year 2023: News coverage to remind people to know Tulsi Pujan Vidhi on Tulsi Pujan Diwas[21] [22]

7. Year 2024: When is Tulsi Pujan Diwas? Auspicious Timing and Puja Vidhi [23][24]

Year after year this event is getting significant coverage as needed per WP:CONTINUEDCOVERAGE, this is to prove verifiability of this article WP:V Sethi752 (talk) 17:07, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

• Keep Tulsi Pujan Diwas article coverage by BBC is a reliable source as per WP:RSPBBC^[9].
  • Coverage by Economic Times: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/tulsi-pujan-diwas-2022-check-date-puja-vidhi-and-significance-of-this-hindu-festival/articleshow/96495420.cms?from=mdr
  • https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/tulsi-pujan-diwas-2023-date-timings-rituals-significance-of-this-holy-day/articleshow/106261017.cms?from=mdr
  • Coverage by Zee News: https://zeenews.india.com/culture/tulsi-pujan-diwas-2024-date-history-rituals-spiritual-importance-and-health-benefits-2835697.html
  • These news coverages by reliable sources prove the notability of this article.
  • Coverage in book ^[10] **** — Preceding unsigned comment added by Transcend disillusion (talk • contribs)

  • Note, as was pointed out earlier, the disclaimer at the end of the Economic Times article. And the book that is being cited is a non-RS self-publication.

  Unfortunately, despite the WP:NEWSORGINDIA-refspam cited at this AFD, I have yet to see any independent coverage beyond the BBC article and the commentary and humour pieces in DailyO and The Hindu respectively, all which explicitly link it to Asaram and the latter two roll their eyes at the festival. Hence my !vote to merge this article with Asaram. Abecedare (talk) 22:35, 2 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  Here is the list of few independent coverages which do not explicitly mention about Asaram Bapu. Since as per BBC too, this event got started in 2014, so it is a widely adopted concept now, since Tulsi is anyways sacred for Hindu community! And I don't see any point in getting this page merged. It must exist as an independent page since this is a cultural festival event.

  Brief List:

  1. https://zeenews.india.com/culture/tulsi-pujan-diwas-2024-date-history-rituals-spiritual-importance-and-health-benefits-2835697.html#:~:text=Tulsi%20Pujan%20Diwas%20is%20not,the%20mortal%20and%20divine%20realms. (It states Tulsi Pujan Diwas, observed annually, celebrates the worship of the sacred Tulsi plant, a cornerstone of Hindu tradition known for its spiritual, medicinal, and symbolic importance)

  2. https://marathi.hindustantimes.com/religion/tulsi-pujan-25-december-2024-puja-vidhi-in-marathi-know-the-do-or-donts-141735133643954.html

  3. https://zeenews.india.com/culture/tulsi-pujan-diwas-2021-is-celebrated-on-christmas-heres-why-2422511.html

  These are just few independent sources, there are many more GarimaSuha (talk) 10:46, 3 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

  These sources look very much like WP:NEWSORGINDIA would apply. It's really becoming clear that the best choice is to merge with Asaram. Simonm223 (talk) 11:55, 3 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.