Gifts

Its my childhood friend’s birthday. We know each other for past 13 years. We have met each other almost on every birthday. But still when it comes to birthday gift, I am always confused. I take a long time to decide what to gift. Not only in her case but in everybody’s case. Should I buy this one or that one? What did I gift last time? Is this useful? I can’t find a thing which is useful in day-to-day life. Should I go for a show-piece? Or should I buy a cake? Phew… the list of questions in my mind is endless.

Gift is not just a thing. And gifting is not just a formality or ritual. A lot of emotions are linked with it. Only thing which you expect after handing over the gift to your dear one is smile. So when you wrap a gift, you actually wrap your love, care, affection, blessings, and regards with it. That’s why gift has to be well-chosen. It can be as expensive as diamond ring or it can be simple lines straight from your heart. Gifts never have any price tag. They are priceless. In fact emotions attached with them are priceless.

While writing all this, I’m recollecting gifts which I got on my birthdays, special occasions…gifts I gave to my near & dear ones…gifts which other people gave to each other. A swinger, my mom gifted to me on passing 1st std exam with highest marks in school, a hundred rupee note which my grandpa gave me on passing SSC exam, a handmade book-greeting with cartoons of my friends in it, a Marathi card by my non-Marathi friend, a pen by a friend to give grades not less than A- to my students, a ganapati idol by my senior colleague when she got transferred to other team…

These all were simple things. But these things have a lot of value. Sometimes only the expressions n emotions of my family n friends served as a gift for me. The overwhelming joy on my parent’s faces when they came to know about my admission to MBA, presence of my friends on my birthday just to make me feel that I’m not alone, faith they have shown in me in my tough time, blessings of my teachers, good wishes of my colleagues, smile on my bro’s face on liking a shirt gifted by me to him, tears in my best friend’s eyes on reading my letter to her on her birthday … all these things can not be quantified.

All I can say is that, gifts or these expressions are just the ways to assure your dear ones that you are there for them. Gifts form memories. Sweet memories…which can be cherished for life time.

We often say we are gifted with wonderful people in our lives. I wonder how difficult it must have been for god to choose these gifts for us.