Gifts for Indians

RedSwordfish · May 23rd, 2005, 15:18

Hello friends,
I will go to India soon and I wondered what are good (and not to big for my rucksack) gifts for Indians I will meet there? What goods do they appreciate from Europe or Germany? Thanx for your answers....

Nick-H · May 23rd, 2005, 16:04

Chocolate.

Just get it to the fridge in your hotel room quickly

. And don't eat it all yourself.

shere · May 23rd, 2005, 16:32

Not sure if they have them in EU but go to one of them cheap shops (like Poundland in the UK) and fill your boots with those keyring LED torches (3 for £1). These went down a storm on my last visit.

john.sw · May 23rd, 2005, 20:31

Photographs make a great gift.

Take photographs of your friends and post them copies. You'll have a pen friend for life!

amaresvivir · May 23rd, 2005, 20:44

Hello :-)

Hard candies, chewing gum, and other sweets that can't melt are appreciated and not too heavy. Colognes and perfumes are also a nice gift. Keychains from your home country, A polaroid camera(take extra film) to take snapshots of you and your new friends, and cosmetics for ladies. Western goods in general are somewhat hard to come by, especially in rural areas. But the Indian people (in general) are very gracious and the gesture no matter how small it seems to be very appreciated.

Have fun and be safe :-)

sudheer poppa · May 24th, 2005, 11:21

Foreign Booze is very very well appreciated

Otherwise Pens are good gifts, small momentos, visiting card like calendars, bookmarks, any small nitty gritty stuff would be welcome. Personally I am a sucker for chocholates

emjoi · May 24th, 2005, 11:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

Chocolate.

Oh yes. My Chennai relatives, whenever they visit always return home with bags stuffed with milk chocolate (they like the sweet stuff... dark choc is not as popular). Last time it was fun at the airport when they were massively over the baggage limit, and they were pulling out all these bags of M&Ms and Cadburys.

I was also told, "Portable DVD players". Ahem. Maybe not.

I keep suggesting simply "money". Surely a 50 buck note would be more appreciated, and while it definitely is (to the point of family wars over who got more or less), little trinkets, even Maccas Happymeal toys, seem to be very important.

cyberhippie · May 24th, 2005, 11:56

What about a nice calendar, I know in Scotland/Holland they publish some beautiful calenders so I'm guessing other countries do it too!
A nice gift that says something about where you come from!

SHIMLA · May 24th, 2005, 13:02

Chocolate, biscuits, cheese and booze are almost always appreciated, even though most foreign goods are readily available in India.

You may also consider carrying small pictorial pocket book guides on Europe and Germany. These have to be in English, of course.

Another option is free size T-shirts, if they fall in your gifts budget. A couple of small digital diaries and alarm clocks will come in handy too.

Kanbe · May 24th, 2005, 14:17

great post,
I too, am wondering what appropriate gifts to bring
i know its 'the thought that counts' ...but i dont want to bring anything that would suggest ignorance.

it seems chocolate seems to be the consensus

so besides packets of Tim Tams, what else is good? something for friends as opposed to people I just meet, so it can be a bit pricer

mahmud · May 24th, 2005, 14:23

A book may be the universal gift.

Nick-H · May 24th, 2005, 14:43

For the person you want to spend a bit more on, I gather that clothes are often appreciated.

Funny: when I come here Indian people in UK ask me to bring clothes to their friends. When I return I have to take Indian clothes

Marks & Spencer shirts go down well.

RedSwordfish · May 24th, 2005, 22:24

Thank you, guys!
I will take an extra bag for candy, they will love German candy.

Nick-H · May 24th, 2005, 22:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedSwordfish

Hello friends,
I will go to India soon and I wondered what are good (and not to big for my rucksack) gifts for Indians I will meet there? What goods do they appreciate from Europe or Germany? Thanx for your answers....

I'm not Indian: does that mean you won't be bringing me a present?

RedSwordfish · May 24th, 2005, 23:05

I will bring an original Munich beer (Augustiner 1328), especially for you!

But you have to come to Orissa...

May 23rd, 2005, 15:18	#1
RedSwordfish Mango-Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 94	Gifts for Indians Hello friends, I will go to India soon and I wondered what are good (and not to big for my rucksack) gifts for Indians I will meet there? What goods do they appreciate from Europe or Germany? Thanx for your answers....

May 23rd, 2005, 16:04	#2
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,616	Chocolate. Just get it to the fridge in your hotel room quickly . And don't eat it all yourself. __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

May 23rd, 2005, 20:31	#4
john.sw Up in the hills with my head in the clouds... Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: India/UK Posts: 1,019	Photographs make a great gift. Take photographs of your friends and post them copies. You'll have a pen friend for life! __________________ www.nilgiris.asia your guide to the Nilgiris, Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur

May 23rd, 2005, 20:44	#5
amaresvivir Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 9	Hello :-) Hard candies, chewing gum, and other sweets that can't melt are appreciated and not too heavy. Colognes and perfumes are also a nice gift. Keychains from your home country, A polaroid camera(take extra film) to take snapshots of you and your new friends, and cosmetics for ladies. Western goods in general are somewhat hard to come by, especially in rural areas. But the Indian people (in general) are very gracious and the gesture no matter how small it seems to be very appreciated. Have fun and be safe :-) __________________ "Be happy. It's one way of being wise".

May 24th, 2005, 11:21	#6
sudheer poppa Senior brick in the wall Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Pole Posts: 1,475	Foreign Booze is very very well appreciated Otherwise Pens are good gifts, small momentos, visiting card like calendars, bookmarks, any small nitty gritty stuff would be welcome. Personally I am a sucker for chocholates __________________ We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools - MLK Pic Page 1 Pic Page 2 When my life changed over a week

May 23rd, 2005, 16:32	#3
shere Maha Guru Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: England Posts: 1,100	Not sure if they have them in EU but go to one of them cheap shops (like Poundland in the UK) and fill your boots with those keyring LED torches (3 for £1). These went down a storm on my last visit.

May 24th, 2005, 11:56	#8
cyberhippie Account Closed by User's Request Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: the Netherlands Posts: 6,014	What about a nice calendar, I know in Scotland/Holland they publish some beautiful calenders so I'm guessing other countries do it too! A nice gift that says something about where you come from!

May 24th, 2005, 13:02	#9
SHIMLA Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yangon, MYANMAR Posts: 4,129	Chocolate, biscuits, cheese and booze are almost always appreciated, even though most foreign goods are readily available in India. You may also consider carrying small pictorial pocket book guides on Europe and Germany. These have to be in English, of course. Another option is free size T-shirts, if they fall in your gifts budget. A couple of small digital diaries and alarm clocks will come in handy too. __________________ Whoever said money can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop !

May 24th, 2005, 14:17	#10
Kanbe la la laa Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: lala land Posts: 350	great post, I too, am wondering what appropriate gifts to bring i know its 'the thought that counts' ...but i dont want to bring anything that would suggest ignorance. it seems chocolate seems to be the consensus so besides packets of Tim Tams, what else is good? something for friends as opposed to people I just meet, so it can be a bit pricer

May 24th, 2005, 14:23	#11
mahmud Account Closed Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh Posts: 445	Book A book may be the universal gift.

May 24th, 2005, 14:43	#12
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,616	For the person you want to spend a bit more on, I gather that clothes are often appreciated. Funny: when I come here Indian people in UK ask me to bring clothes to their friends. When I return I have to take Indian clothes Marks & Spencer shirts go down well.

May 24th, 2005, 22:24	#13
RedSwordfish Mango-Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 94	Thank you, guys! I will take an extra bag for candy, they will love German candy.

May 24th, 2005, 23:05	#15
RedSwordfish Mango-Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Mumbai Posts: 94	I will bring an original Munich beer (Augustiner 1328), especially for you! But you have to come to Orissa...

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