Prime View The 10 Most Emerging Startups of 2018 | Page 23

“Some gifts are big. Others are small. But ones that come from the heart, are the best of all,” as
a famous proverb goes. However, it seems as if we’ve almost forgotten what a gift stands for and
what it is meant to convey. This comes as an all the bigger surprise in a country such as India, a
country whose very identity lies in its immense ranging diversity - India celebrates festivals of
all kinds of cultures, ethnicities, and religions. This creates all the more occasions for gifting
from Diwali to Eid, from Christmas to Raksha Bandhan, to innumerable other festivals, as well
as birthdays and anniversaries of loved ones. In recent years, Indians have also been warming
up to international festivals such as Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Thanksgiving which has
made occasions for gifting ubiquitous, almost all year round.
With a continuous demand for gifts throughout the calendar, perhaps, somewhat ironically it is
a consequence of that that the art of gifting is somehow getting lost in uncreativity and monotony.
While on one hand, the number of different occasions should enhance the scope of gifting gifts
can tailor-made for that very occasion, bringing in more joy of the festive spirit. But what
actually does happen in practice, is that people tend to become lazy, perhaps because of sheer
gifting fatigue and resort to generic gifts for all occasions, relationships and personalities such
as chocolates and cards which are just about acceptable for all situations, but perhaps not quite
the most appropriate.
In the hustle and bustle of today’s hectic lifestyles, thus, gifting is losing its very purpose. What
is the meaning of gifts, after all? A gift is supposed to evoke reactions of joy. It is supposed to
inspire awe, by being a means of how a person can show another person how much they care
about them, and just how well they know them. It should make them smile ear-to-ear at just the
act of opening it. The perfect gift should befit the occasion, the recipient’s personality, hobbies
and interests generic gifts like chocolates and cards may be okay, but they can seldom create
such a wide range of emotions amongst the recipient, which is what the ideal gifts are supposed
to do. It’s high time we make an effort to reinject some life into the art of gifting, which is losing
its way rapidly.
23