Packing Tips for India travel - What's in your bag? The essentials to bring and what to leave at home. Includes questions about costs.

Gift on visiting Indian family for dinner in their new home?


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old Oct 20th, 2007, 01:22   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 127
Gift on visiting Indian family for dinner in their new home?

Hope someone can come up with some inspiration to help me!

I will be visiting an Indian colleague and his family for dinner just after they have moved into their new apartment. I am fine on personal gifts to take for his wife and son, but would also love to take them something from the Uk for their new home.

Does anyone have any ideas?
SueJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Oct 20th, 2007, 22:40   #2
Senior Member, 8 yrs in India
 
atala's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Switzerland, just back from India 2008
Posts: 691
It depends how modern the family is, but if the folks grew up fairly traditional and have not lived outside India for a long time or studied abroad, enough to change their innate feeling and behaviour, you should know that giving a gift as a guest in someone's house is actually, well not exactly, but close to insulting them, because the hosts are bound to treat you "like God visiting", while you giving them something makes them even more indebted to you. It is awkward for them to receive, if they should be the ones only giving. Get the point?
atala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Oct 20th, 2007, 23:18   #3
Member
 
biswajit_27's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Delhi
Posts: 60
Send a message via Yahoo to biswajit_27 Send a message via Skype™ to biswajit_27
The best gift would be to ask them for dinner at your house the SAME day they are moving in. They would not have had the oppurtunity to settle down their kitchen yet, and would appreciate this very much.
biswajit_27 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Oct 22nd, 2007, 14:43   #4
Maha Guru Member
 
nayan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: hyderabad/tokyo
Posts: 830
giving a small gift to someone for inviting you to their new house is definitely not insulting ..... whatever may be the education/social etc background. Indians do it all the time.

A souvenir from UK is a very good idea..... a table/wall calender with UK scenery/castles/stonehenge pics make very good small and informal gift. Along with it, carry a box of chocolates/sweets.
nayan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Oct 22nd, 2007, 18:26   #5
Senior Member, 8 yrs in India
 
atala's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Switzerland, just back from India 2008
Posts: 691
Quote:
Originally Posted by nayan View Post
giving a small gift to someone for inviting you to their new house is definitely not insulting ..... .
I think "small gift" makes the difference. And the word that I meant, was offending, not insulting. Coming from the West we tend to overdue it with that special gift which outdoes anything they already possess.
atala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Oct 22nd, 2007, 19:08   #6
Maha Guru Member
 
nayan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: hyderabad/tokyo
Posts: 830
donot think any gift will offend /insult anyone unless its something wayyyyyyyy over the top... cannot think of something like that... can you give a few examples ?
A point here : the invitation is to a colleagues house (I assume they will be a middleclass/upper middleclass family) I seriously doubt anyone could get them a gift from the west which would seriously overwhelm/offend them by "outdoing anything they possess".
nayan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Oct 22nd, 2007, 23:09   #7
Senior Member, 8 yrs in India
 
atala's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Switzerland, just back from India 2008
Posts: 691
it seems I was wrong with my conclusion, or my experience is limited to just the very traditional segment of society.
atala is offline   Reply With Quote
Old Oct 23rd, 2007, 02:38   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 127
Thanks for the thoughts. My colleague is well travelled and I know him well enough that I am sure he will feel I have done it with the best of intentions whatever the traditions are.

I have concluded an English Dartington glass vase will probably be acceptable. And I can be sure that he won't be able to get an Indian one the same!
SueJ is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Accomodation with an indian family whinger Kerala 8 Nov 19th, 2006 23:24
Joint Family to Nuclear Family to Weekend Family !!! sudheer poppa Chai and Chat 1 Feb 13th, 2006 15:56
What is a suitable gift for indian family lin Chai and Chat 2 May 21st, 2004 15:22
Gift Ideas for an Indian Family milkyway Chai and Chat 16 Jan 30th, 2004 11:35
Visiting an indian family on my first night Pundy Chai and Chat 9 Jan 23rd, 2004 04:48



Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd. LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.1.0
indiamike.com ©2001-2008

Syndicate this content on your website with rss or javascript data feeds.