A perfect gift

Special occasions tend to create special moments and you generally tend to savour that moment for a lifetime. Happiness is a state of mind and you wish to share that with some people who make a difference. Gifts are a way of expressing your "something" for the person. The "something" can be a token of friendship signifying the person's importance. I am never a gifts guy, for I more often than not tend to forget the person's special occasion. The special occasion could be a birthday, wedding anniversary, graduation ceremony or anything else.

The thought of gifting someone with something is really not an easy prospect. It is difficult to hit upon an object that would appease the receiver. This can be known only if you know the person well enough to understand what he/she likes. I have always considered books to be the best possible gift for anybody, though I guess I have now lost the moral right to talk about books. I hardly have read anything in the last couple of months. The best thing about books is that you always tend to find the right books for the occasion. There are so many brilliant authors covering diverse topics that it is so easy to pick on the select few to gift it to somebody. If your friend is a book reader, then there is no better gift to lift his spirits.

Let us get to something more materialistic. Garments and fabrics have never fascinated me as good gift materials. Jewelry, pendants, rings, earrings and ornaments for girls have never influenced me as good gift objects. I have always felt it to be too personal to be given to a girl. I view the living room stuffs as a big bore. Those showcase materials with dolls and other small creatures have never had an impact on me. Soft toys are a fascination with a certain section of my friends. Pens and pencils are good gift materials, infact at some point, I could never think beyond pens as gifts. I had to get through that phase and come up with better ideas. Similarly, watches are as popular, though mobile phones have replaced watches as time machines. But then, I can easily get carried off by a good watch. Of course, packaging a gift is as important as the gift itself.

But today, gifts have assumed a different meaning, what with the purchasing power of the people. IPods, music players, mobile phones, laptops and other jazzy electronic gadgets have emerged as simple gifts. Gift cards and certificates are common fixtures these days, but it does not generate as much of a surprise. I still remember receiving my first gift when I was in my first standard. A nice front page photo of Draupadi adorned the cover of that time edition of Amar Chitra Katha (one of my favourite series) which kindled in me the desire to know the complete sequence of Indian mythology. Those days, the edition was not as glossy as what it is today. It was simple and economical for the common man to buy, and perfect gifts for growing up children.

Sometimes, exceptions have to be made.