If you are like my husband you wouldn’t know what a KG means when you travel and if you are like me you will weigh everything you carry. He travels ultra light ( if there is a term for that) and I can carry the whole world with me. Its funny because I am a least maintenance woman but when it comes to traveling to India for me every inch and every 250 gms in my suitcase counts. It’s not all about me its about everyone I know.
Every trip till this one has been planned, that means the lists have been exchanged, talked and added and deleted some with cost analysis benefits. For a long time I have stopped buying “ just gifts” for my sisters and their kids. Even though you get everything in India the quality and cost matters a lot so I buy the “need gifts” what they need/want not exactly in the traditional way of gifting.
But this trip was different, not planned in advance, also shopping with limited time and due to COVID I didn’t want to go out multiple times. Costco and Amazon were the life savers. So I could plan and finish everything the way I wanted to. We have some standard items in our list, my sisters’ wear 9.5 Wide shoes and that is one of the necessities not the gift item. I remember When Seema came to visit Ashish and me in Feb 96 ( her Bday month) We got her a pair of woodland shoes in Pune. One of the most expensive and weird gift at that time. Ashish bought of a pair of shoe for his sister in law but that has been a tradition since then. I don’t even remember how many pairs of shoes I have bought for my sisters. But as Varsha joked her feet are so used to USA Reebok and Naturalizer shoes they don’t like the shoes they get in India. Last time I got a tiny weighing scale for them and it has been a game changer for us in packing.
This is so funny that Seema starts packing for me and all of us including Amma sit and watch her in action. I just pack and unpack in USA. She does the same in India. The day I land she will sit and sort the so called “gifts” there is nothing surprise for anyone its the stuff from the list as my gifts for them. I usually buy same things for all my sisters and brothers in law but this time something changed. I traveled back with Varsha form Raipur. She has “necessity” stuff for grown ups, the “asked” from Raipur but for kids she got something wrapped in the gift boxes. The kids loved everything about it, The gift wrapping, the stuff inside ( surprise) and the whole “what did Varsha Mausi” get.
Last night while packing I was thinking I dont have anything “surprising” for Ashish and kids. In fact the two eatables I had for them were in my overweight cabin bag so I had to send them back with my sisters because I had so much stuff for everyone else. The suitcases are full of sarees and blouses for my friends and they took over the “gift” feeling. As I type this on the plane I feel guilty about them I should have taken two of my sarees out instead of those.
What is your gift story? Do you travel light and what do you bring from India?
This was my biggest gift, My Mom in a better shape. The thought of "what is going on upstairs in my room" was motivating enough for her.
Lovely blog jaya, I followed you on your trip to India and was very jealous because here I sit alone, ongoing out anywhere and have no-one visiting me and going to India is not an option.When I go to India my two suitcases are loaded with gifts and requests, I am very unimaginative, same things every time.
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