THE GREAT BROTHERLY CHALLENGE

A few ideas to ease out shopping for your sister, this Rakshabandhan.

Childhood used to be easy. Blue skies, open fields, summer holidays and marginal global warming. Which meant you could easily brave the midday sun and be out on the field or maybe hang out at the mohalla market.

You pocket money itself was a great eliminator. So choosing a gift for your sister was easier. A box of chocolates would do the trick. The fancy packs of course. Or maybe a cassette. I remember getting mine a Michael Learns To Rock album. CDs came in a little later. So that was a natural graduation. I stayed away from pens mostly because visually they didn’t have the body of a “gift”. And besides I couldn’t afford a Waterman.

Those things changed as we grew up. Of course chocolates still work but mostly as add on. So what do I buy for my sister, this Rakshabandhan?

It’s a emotional turmoil. You really cannot start by ascertaining a budget. Come on, you know why. She’s your sister. Makes you feel like a cheapskate, doesn’t it?So you start with the something bigger. Like care. And you pick something that shows - you care about what she would like. My safe bet is always a book. But then that’s because my sister is an avid reader and our taste in books are a lot in sync. Books also are great because they last and you can go back to them and the memories associated with them. But some sisters are not too big on reading.

Jewellery. Now that’s an all time hit. Even if she is not a very dressy person she would appreciate the fact that you went to a jeweller’s and spent hours there to find that perfect piece which you believed was made just for her.

I generally stay away from clothes. It’s always a confusing affair picking clothes for anyone else, no matter how close they are to you. Unless you are a professional buyer or a designer. Or you generally are bossy pants like that. I am not. And if you knew my sister you would know why.

A bottle of perfume? Sure. Everyone loves perfumes. And it shouldn’t be very difficult for any brother to know what sort of a fragrance the sister likes. That one is easy. But this year the malls are closed. So you won’t be able to go around exploring all the aromas through all the aisles. There’s of course one way to do this. Just beef up the stock of her favourite label. The other way is to take a peek into her perfume cabinet and find the bottle that is about to be emptied out. There’s no denying that she likes that one. I mean it’s almost empty, right?

These are the few things that I dabble with or stay away from. And then there are shoes. Never met someone who didn’t appreciate the idea of a new addition to their collection. But it’s best to have them choose. If you were as confused as I have been on so many occasions, before reading this, I sure hope I was able to throw some ideas into the ring.  There’s one thing though. I have realized that all these years it was mostly she, who was protecting me. From the wrath of the parents and from the after effects of terrible decisions. From midnight hunger pangs and colossal heartbreaks. So this year, no matter what I get her, I am getting a rakhi for her as well. Makes sense doesn’t it? That’s another idea I want to leave here with you all.

And if you want to talk about it more write to us at care@themancompany.com

#RakhiForSisters