What would you like as a gift from India?

[DiwaliQueen]

Im going back to the motherland for a holiday and I would like to buy a gift for a dear English friend I have made. She is the sweetest friend ever.

She is very stylish and elegant- think country chic, in her 50's, would it be too much to get her a sari?!

Maybe some jewellery or a shawl? I dont know! What would you like?

Block print tablecloth and homewares in colours she'd like.

Shawl or scarf in sari material
incense
mid she cooks the spices, otherwise no as it just sits in the cupboard.
Depending on how well you know her costume jewellery
different cashew such as with husk and non salted
depending on where she lives and when you will see her mithai. (So not if she she is in a big city where they are east to access fresh or it will be awhile before you see her).

Sandalwood soap, its an awful price here. Saffron. Incense. Ambergris perfume (but check to see how much you'd have to pay to bring it here.)

How about something beautiful from the shop Good Earth? Or a terracotta elephant from a street seller, for the garden?

If she has slim build and you want to buy clothes tops from somewhere like Fab India if it still exists.

I'd love a sari! I'm too tall to wear one but the fabric is gorgeous and I'd like to make something out of it.

I would love a sari but I do think I would find it hard to wear unless I were invited to a particular event. I'd still adore it though.

Alternatively one of the non-sari but still quite traditional style clothing options might work? My friend wears beautiful Indian tunics and dresses which might be easier to wear but are still stunning?

Alternatively something for the home is a wonderful idea.

You sound like a very generous friend 😊

I have 2 friends travelling India at the minute, some gorgeous pashminas in colours I would usually wear is on my wish list. They look so stylish with a nice woollen coat

Tea! I was in India a few years and bought some looseleaf tea, it wasn't expensive, but my god it was the most delicious tea I've ever had. I've bought looseleaf tea in the UK since, in the hope of recreating it, but sadly never have.

If she wears silver jewellry, you can get some lovely jeweller there. What part of India are you going to?
( also fags are v v cheap there...😂 )

Sandalwood soap

When my Indian friend went home for a visit I asked him to please bring me back some of the beautiful bracelets that Indian women wear. He brought me lots back and they were gorgeous!
But sadly even though I have quite small hands I couldn't get any of them past my knuckles 😭
I still loved them though.

I would hate a bedspread as a gift. I have carefully chosen the decor in my home. Then comes this bedspread. Either hurt your feelings by not displaying it. Scramble to get it out when you visit, or have something on display not quite to my taste.

100% agree with this post from @GoingToBeLessRubbishAtLife . Incense I’ve bought in India, even the cheap stuff from supermarkets, is miles better than anything I’ve bought in the uk in recent years. I long for decent incense!

*edited a typo

An elephant 💕🐘💕

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

I agree with op I wouldn’t want something big like a bedspread as I have bedding that matches each room.

I’d like a scarf or shawl.

When I went to India I brought back a couple of white marble boxes with stones embedded in them. A friend who went recently knew I loved them and brought back some small decorative marble eggs. I dislike ornaments in general (I like surfaces to be empty)but I do like my marble items.

Which region? Perhaps some local handicrafts?

Sari or spices!

Are spices significantly better quality or fresher than what we get here? Genuine question, I've never been to India.

@cardibach thank you

Yes, much fresher, more fragrant and better quality, particularly in the South. You particularly notice it with spices like black pepper and cardamom.

I have a beautiful sari my sister brought me in Nepal when she was living there, but given the current political environment I can't think when I could possibly get away with wearing it ☹️

She also got me a lovely cotton shirt and matching loose trousers. The shirt is a little conspicuous but the trousers are wearable with a regular top.

A beautiful bedspread would bed perfect .

I would HATE to receive a gift like that.

I've worn saris on a couple of occasions, both requested by friends with Indian heritage.

OP

An anarkali or kurta might be more suitable to incorporate into a western outfit.

A shawl would be nice. I wouldn't get spices but one of those spice tins, I think it is called a masalla dabba.

A pretty tiffin tin, nice to look at even if it is never used.

If she cooks then a tawa or kitchen utensils. Possible a cook book. I bought one in Ecuador that was in English and Spanish.

I'd love a thali set - can you tell I like cooking?