Please Help!!! What to bring as gifts?

bigjig04

I am going to India tomorrow!! I will be going with a friend and staying with his family in Bombay. I'm hoping to get some suggestions for what to bring them as a show of gratitude. Unfortunately my friend really wasn't any help in telling me what to get them, so I'm turning to you all for help I would like to get them something unique--something they can't buy in India.

Any suggestions?

Sama

there are a number of posts here on what to bring. try searching "gifts" and posts will pop up.

good suggestions here: What gifts do your indian friends/relatives living in india appreciate?

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PeakXV

We always throw in a few bottles of some organic maple syrup - extra fine grade. One for the hosts and one for us - to top of those Goan coconut pancakes. Of course that stuff might be a little scarce in LA!?

Depends who you are visiting really - a good quality bottle of Booze always works too .......

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

cdrake

Short form gift cheatsheet:

1. male gifting young male: brand name booze. they know whiskeys(scotch and rum better than they do vodkas and tequillas black label is right up there on top.)

2. Male/ female gifting young female: Brand name perfume.

3. Male gifting older male: (I used to take movies) Pens/ a set of pens.

4. male/ female gifting older females:brand name Dark glasses.

Chocolates are a good genral gift for everyone, electronics are welcome too.

edwardseco

Perfumes/after shave is good. Chocolates make it for the kids and teens. I like the syrup idea. I prefer Canadian and you can certainly get it in LA along with most everything but Fenny..

Nick-H

...Oh dear; that's blown the budget for the trip before even leaving the duty-free shop !

All good advice, though.

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itgirl

Chocolate!!! They still don't have good chocolate in India! Even their Cadbury Temptations chocolate sucks!

greenchutney

ouch!..i for one love our cadbury. now if you mean good white chocolate..hmmm..that leaves much to be desired. yeah bring that toblerone and the coconut stuffed chocs..forget the name of the brand.

someone mentioned alcohol before. i would be careful with that...knowning the profile of the gift recieving person would be important..you dont wanna bring that out at a conservative household.

nifty gadgets are always cool. LED diode keylights are very cool. so might be book reading lights..the ones that you attach to the book. nice keychains form a simple gift. perfumes can get expensive....and blow the budget.

skell

Sparkling apple cider is a treat for non-drinking hosts and kids.

If the hostess is an adventurous cook, she might enjoy dried herbs that are uncommon in India.

raos

Wow! I should have checked these posts before loading up on my suitcases this summer. I brought pens for older men (I bought Waterman+Cross but you can go much cheaper); people have already suggested chocolates (works for every age). I avoided alcohol though it is highly coveted as gifts by men; I bought a bunch of inexpensive watches from Sears and they were hit with my teenage cousins (especially the ones that came with bracelets); for 20 something male cousins, I took one nice shirt with a matching tie (you can get them as sets for less that $20 at places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls). Smallish electronics (like portable CD players) are also appreciated.

It is harder to give gifts to urban, middle-class Indians than to small-town lower middle-class Indians. Middle-class Indians living in the cities have been exposed to brand-names and, because of the new consumer culture, like brand products. I had to tell my relatives over and over again that I can't afford a Rolex watch and that ALL Americans can't afford brand names. True, I have a pair of Oakley sunglasses but to buy a $100 sunglass for myself is not the same as buying one for every cousin or relative.

greenchutney

anything solar operated is cool too. batteries are expensive and power cuts are the norms. i bought a hand cranked/solar radio which was a huge hit with my uncle.

another cool nifty gift was a headlamp....the ones that have a band around the head with a central light on the front with LEDs...commonly used for night treks, camping and caving in most of parts of the world while here it was used for navigating the house during the night power cuts or reading a book creative eh?.. your hands are free...and thats what is so cool about it..especially while walking around in the dark.

might be in those dark varanasi streets...especially with that big bad backpack in the back and the smaller one in the front!..or those dark loos ...

yeah i got some apple cider too..and they loved it. cheap sunglasses and hats are good idea too as well..especially since its so hot and bright.

i dont buy perfumes because its so expensive, personal..and usually they are mellow ones. atleast as far as the indian environment, you need really strong smells...since the surroundings usually have such strong odours!...a strong curry cooked at home could negate that acqua di gio in a jiffy...

Nick-H

A headlamp in the toilet? Briliant! (at least for the men)

Cider? Hang on a minute, I don't know about USA, but is sure is alcoholic in UK. Usually stronger than beer, a great students' drink: cheaper so more alcohol for your money

nadreg

Chocolate is definitely a good choice. My relatives always ask for Kit Kat.... Lots of Kit Kat.

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greenchutney

yes nick...have had many instances of power cuts while in the toilet and in some of the outhouses..these are invaluable!

sparkling apple cider in the US..is non-alcoholic.

Nick-H

They take the alcohol out of your cider? What a rip-off!

And I always thought that in USA the Consumer was King!