What is the one thing people go that visit India have to buy as a souvenir or just something that is cool? What is something that you would bring back as a gift for someone? I know when go to India, I always take candies, chocolates and clothes for relatives back home, but what is it that America needs/wants from India? Other than the cheap labor...
nah, id get that from the middle east... dubai, saudi, etc... its become somewhat of a common fad in india like in the US and the prices have spiked up.
'Culture Trinkets' like folk art or crafts and hand made stuff with Indian/Hindu imagery always seem to be good. A 12th century tulwar inlaid with silver and jewels would be pretty cool too.
The best source of pirated software (or dvd's, or knockoff/counterfeit merchandise, or a good dose of anti-freeze in your toothpaste) is probably China....
i always bring back elephants, rose woods one for friends and small sandalwood ones fro coworkers. Also if you are Bing stuff back for women they love the Indian costume jewelry
What part of India? I know the best thing anyone can give to me if they've visited some place I've never been are pictures or videos of what they saw - the landscape, the culture, etc. That tells me or connects me more to a place than any merchandise could probably do (with exceptions). I'll have to go back to India some day. The southern Indian landscape can be pretty incredible.
I used to travel and work in India a little. When I went there I would buy the designer label clothing gear they make. They had straight factory stuff from designers like Armani, Abercrombie, Banana Republic, Polo and alot of other name brands you see here. Apparently, the store owners buy stolen merchandise from clothing factory workers and sell it at a mark up. But the prices are still dirt cheap compared to Western currency. I went to a place that sells mostly football jerseys, and F1 gear. Those were made in Sri Lanka and shipped over to southern India. Of course, there are some fakes, but if you know how a designer label is supposed to look and feel you can get some pretty nice clothes. Talking genuine items, you can buy custom made suits for a nice savings also. A comparable Armani suit, made from similar material might run you $200 as opposed to being more than $600 here.