Gifts from home

singwithjoy

What kind of small gifts do y'all bring from home to share with people who have done many kindnesses. I'm thinking alchohol won't be a big hit. Perhaps some CDs but I'm not up on what's cool. Classic videos. Books. I just wanted to step beyond the money for a moment. I'm in the U.S. and don't want to spread the corporate logo anywhere but what small things are appreciated in India? I obviously think I have room in my pack, hehe, now that I'm not packing toilet paper (two days to go).
VJ

wonderwomanusa

I am taking flower seeds, some inexpensive earrings, an extra deck of cards...and whatever else I find between now and 21 October.

The postcards of San Francisco that I use to show folks what my hometown looks like have also served as little gifts for, for example, the young men who fried fish and potatoes for us in a pilgrimage town!

Gifts to a specific set of friends there include "Lemony Snicket" books for the daughter, some wonderful colored hair ornaments I found at Walgreen's, a small purse, and a Chinatown T-shirt.

__________________
The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

Anders

A bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label will probably be a *very* big hit. Not a small gift though.

Rockers

I'm from Australia and although I'm not very patriotic, our friends in India want Australiana stuff. Calendars of our Native Birds, tea towels, books, stickers; the postcards are a great idea!

Photos of yourself, your family and where you live are always a big hit. Maybe enlarge and frame up some for bigger gifts?

__________________
"Freedom is not doing what one pleases for the sake of it, but the ability to make good, moral choices to fulfil our social duties to our fellow human beings".
Gandhi

Samsara

"Miniatures" and "hip flask" sizes of fine whiskies appeal to me for various reasons and can be amazingly appealing priced (one of the appeals) and if/when I get to India, I will probably take a few but I would find it hard to share...(must work on this...). I was delighted to find that a "hip flask" size of White Label Jim Beam Kentucky Straight Sour Mash Whiskey (200 ml) was only about AUD$12 (Australian dollars, not American) and is packaged in a recyclable and attractively designed glass flask style bottle(what a relief that was - removed one existential angst from the scenario). I do not not if this is the best of whiskies from the USA as I'm not an expert (yet) on US of A whiskey brands, but I personally found it had a raw and smokey taste (I'm not good on descriptions sorry) which appealed to me not unpleasantly. Partially mellow but retaining smoke, rawness and bite.

Johnny Walker Black Label is AUD$5.95 for a 50 ml miniature at David Jones (a department store in Australia). The only drawback is that the bottling is plastic which seems to be non-recyclable. This bothers me. Jamison Irish Whiskey is AUD$5.00 for the same size - same problem with the bottle though.

One has to be careful with whisky and whiskey though - nothing worse than a cheap whiskey (cheap in the sense of, it really has no redeeming features) gift to a whisky/whiskey connoisseur. Also, be careful not to offer alcohol to those who culturally don't drink alcohol (plenty of those in India - whisky/whiskey is not something you just hand out like lollies, might be better to stick to pens).

So I would take fine alcohol for myself and people I know really well (as in I know their tastes and also they are related to me extremely closely and I've been told or know they appreciate a good whisky) and for others, more , other things that don't involve alcohol. Many people in India are "simple" or love to describe themselves as "simple" (how to be a good guest - just say, I'm a simple person myself, the food is wonderful, your home is wonderful, money is not everything, I would rather share a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine with you than dine with the rajah...)Simple, a good word to know. It always stops the conversation. Look at the rajah and say, I'm a simple person myself and then walk out and go home for a good time with your whisky in private. Look at the tee-totaller and say, would you like a whisky? Oh, you don't drink - I am a tantrik myself so it's not a problem but my path is not yours, jai Kali ma...and then drink your whiskey while they drink their nimbu pani. If they persist in making you feel guilty, just say, I am belonging to a Marxist family and I am a vedic communist, all this tee-total business is stuff and nonsense. Also mutter darkly to yourself, while not looking at them, bhagvan, if god doesn't drink whiskey, what sort of a god is that. Then look at the nimbu pani drinker and say, bhai/brother, I am going home now, I have finally decided to liberate myself from religion, this is in the Vedas also, what a relief.