Choice, or no choice

Gifting... the sweet little word that promises a whole lot of goodness coming our way can be quite a stressful one too. The ordeal of going through the process of selecting the right gift for the right person, making sure it's not the same rice cooker or a Ganesha in all forms and hues that everyone ends up giving, ensuring it fits into our budget, not so low that we come across as cheap and stingy, not so high that we end up pining for the chunk of money that went through that proverbial hole in our pockets, and in case we already received a gift from the other person, remembering what it was and returning the love in quantity and quality...phew...it's a whole lot of work.

And then the gift must be gender specific. Women enjoy receiving all kinds of gifts (read as many countless options there) and men hardly care unless there is technology attached to the gift. So probably headphones, speakers that come in all varieties, a watch, shaving kit, cologne that may have graduated in recent times to beard-care set, mobile phone…

On the other hand, it's extremely easy to choose a gift for a girl. She can receive 10 leather bags, she won't complain, junk jewellery is, in fact, the most valuable gift for her...wonder why it's called junk then…, gold and diamonds have always been her best friends, she is ever gracious in receiving any amount of clothes that come her way, and there are many naive ones out there, who are just happy receiving a lone red rose and a bar of a chocolate. Your budget can be anything, you may have given her 100s of gifts, you will still find a gift good enough for a girl; whether she will be totally happy – well that another story.

What if you must buy a gift for a boy/man. A wallet? Well, he may have been using the one he got from his ex-girlfriend and may not be in the mood to change it for some time to come; and let's accept one wallet looks just like the other one. It's almost like the 100 shades of blue jeans that look the same to a fairer eye. A belt...there are only so many belts a man can own. Technology is forever changing and if there is anything remotely close to making a man want more of the same thing, it is that speaker which has been upgraded a million times, and each time, it is pre-booked and post-booked and there is this frenzy to own it for the millionth time. You can buy a t-shirt; if you know the right size, a t-shirt can never go wrong, and these days there are some really quirky ones available online. Sunglasses, aviators, shoes, shirts, a bag, a phone case or the phone itself or maybe a car…there are options, but extremely limited, and in most cases hot enough to burn a hole in your pocket.

One look at the popular markets and the exhibitions will give away this not so much of a secret message – men don’t shop, and hence men don’t get to choose. And, when it comes to buying a gift for the male gender, women end up with the not so familiar situation – having to deal with not having much choice in contrast to what they are used to – endless options and spoilt for choice.