Gifts and Wrappers and Me …

I am writing this as I look at the shelves in front of me , the shelves of my room., where not an inch of space is left. They are crowded by gifts, tiny showpieces of dolphins, dancing girls (looking amused with each other ) ,pen-stands, photo-frames, all waiting patiently to be stripped clean of that gray dusty layer of neglect. Why do we give gifts? To commemorate days ? Special days! , special people – and yet that layer of dust on them , on our minds and on relations dusty and hazy with the passage of time .

Are all the gifts , that fly off the racks in the shops “bought” out of truly felt emotions or are they symbols of conventions? Conventions imposed by society where relations are judged according to monetary worth, where the wallet’s weight decides the “quantity” of affection. The one giving the better (read more expensive) gift is the better friend, lover, relative and sadly, parent. For some I guess its almost equivalent to an “emotional bribe” to be exchanged, or substituted for love.

When I was in school and even now , I am strangely hurt if a friend just tears apart the wrapper of a gift that I have given. Logically it cannot be explained, well perhaps it can be explained by some as a celebration of the self, or a sense of self-importance. I wont bother to analyze it, at the same time I cannot deny that twinge in my heart as the wrapper is torn in two seconds. Sometimes if a really special person is involved even the cello-tape is cut with feelings. Am I too idealistic? May be! But no apologies here!

I am not against this beautiful method of expressing oneself only if that is the sole cause .in fact in this world where we rarely find time to feel, leave alone express what we feel- any method is good enough ! for me, well I haven’t given my mother a glossy expensive gift on every mother’s day but my love remains and is stated in other ways, as simple as placing the bottle of water beside her bed every night. So by all means do get that special thing for that special one but do it for the right reason!