Tips on buying Indian gifts: Kurtas, Sarees, Health products..

Posted on November 6, 2009
Filed Under Blogging, General, India | 5 Comments

It was my pastor’s birthday and how I longed to gift him something uniquely Indian. You can say I was totally frantic of what to present to a venerable person like him. Well, I wished I could personally greet him, but that was not possible. So then the option was to express my thanks with something Indian from the ancient land of Hindustan. What I gifted? May be you should just guess..

I am sure many of you traveling to abroad, Indians as well as parting foreigners would like to carry something special for your near and dear ones. If you are really creative, you know how to avoid mundane stuffs and come up with some extraordinary stuffs. However, for people like me it is so extremely difficult to make it idiosyncratic.

Below are few gift ideas for those desperate people like me wanting to Indianise your loved ones.

Kurtas1) Kurtas – Now you know how beautiful Kurtas look. They are fabulous with jeans as well as casuals. You get Kurtas of different colors, different sizes and prices. You get a low-budget one, and you can also get one with all those glitters which surely requires some cough-up. My pastor once when he came to India commented, “Indians are so creatively creative that such cryptic coloring can only be seen here. This mainly is because of their attachment to nature.” It is true; you don’t find such colorful stuffs abroad, especially those that incorporate nature, leaves, and various other attractive figures. The stitching of Indian clothes is so subtle and delicate that it takes umpteen hours for production. No state-of-the-art tools, many variations and designs you see are tediously stitched by hands.

Sarees2) Desi garments for women – Now under this category comes ladies salwar kameez, latest lenghas, Indian ethnic sarees, shalwars, traditional India apparel, boutique saris, etc.

Now this is not a bad idea. You get shalwars for young people and sarees for old. Remember, you got to reach the good stores for good stuffs. Do a little bit of googling and you can come across infos of shops around your area.

Accessories3) Accessories & Miscellaneous – Designer bangles, bindis, necklase, silk cushion covers, wall decors, silk mail holders, fancy Islamic Eid cards, tasbi, aktar, shoes, key chains, fancy pasmina shawls, evening purses, etc are sure things that you can find a blend of ‘Indianess’. If you are by chance visiting Delhi, then the best place to shop these are near Connaught Place. Just ask for ‘Indian Handicrafts’ and you should be easily finding one. Here is a website that should help you select some – http://handicraft.indiamart.com/

Health Products4) Traditional health products – You sure know the popularity of Ayurveda and Homeopathic medicines in India. The same stuffs for which you have to shed double the money in foreign countries. These are products mainly made of herbs. No additives or chemicals, purely made from nature. Dont forget to enquire for skin products, which are widely used in US and Europe.

Tea5) Indian Tea, Snacks – I am a tea freak. There are many foreigners who love Indian tea because of the herbs and varieties available. Indian tea is one of the most famous in the world. You can get jasmine tea, darjeeling tea, cinamon tea, cardamom tea..etc..etc. Apart from malls, one place that you should find such stuffs are in Fabindia.

Did anybody guess what I gave? Well this should glue a clue – ‘Last but not the least’ – :D

For Indian clothes, let it be kurtas, sarees etc, the best place to find cheap and best stuffs are – Fabindia. Their stores are spread all over the country, and they are more authentic than others. It’s easy sometimes to get cheated, so be wary. Here is their website if you want to buy online – www.fabindia.com.

So good luck and Adios for now ~

Comments

5 Responses to “Tips on buying Indian gifts: Kurtas, Sarees, Health products..”

  1. Will on November 6th, 2009 12:37 pm

    It seems you went for the tea. Very good choice that’s what I would have recommende if you could not make up your mind. I recently got addicted to this spicy Indian tea – the only problem with it is it tastes so good I drink it in about a minute. Usually a cup of tea should take at least 5 mins to drink.

    Many good suggestions though. I would not mind a Kurta although I might look like a wally being a westerner in Indian clothes but maybe in the privacy of my own home I can get away with it.

    I’ve been trying to Indianise someone very close to me. So far the sarees have not been approved of, neither has a Kurta and I think a bindi is definitely out – but at least some Punjabi balle balle is approved of now after a long campaign.

  2. Vishal on November 7th, 2009 6:12 am

    Sam, good ones. I went to fabindia last week and I was shocked to see quality stuffs available for affordable prices. Fabindia is a must go for ‘Indian shopping’.

  3. Indianiser on November 7th, 2009 7:26 pm

    Hehe, good luck with Indianising your friend Will. Let me know if you require something, I dont mind packing one for yaa ;-)

  4. Ashish on July 27th, 2010 11:11 am

    Will, the balle balle always works….
    I was with a couple of Germans in Pune over the weekend and we had a great time listening to some Punjabi music…
    What I also feel ur close friend would like would be a good book describing and educating them about India..(I say this with the help of little experience with Spaniards and Germans)..

  5. Carlotta Shimmel on August 1st, 2010 9:57 pm

    Yes I think It’s good.I have one.

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