Kaling used her own Indian cultural background as inspiration when writing the episode, which portrays the Indian festival of Diwali. She and her friend, My Name Is Earl writer Vali Chandrasekaran, had held a Diwali party in 2005 for the cast of their two shows.
Kaling's personal Indian cultural background served as the basis for writing an episode about Diwali, which was inspired by a Diwali party she and her friend had with the cast of their shows.