Don’t assume things! Just because you like a gift idea doesn’t mean your recipient will! Think hard before you finalize a gift idea. Once you have done so, the task of choosing from a wide array of corporate gift possibilities is not so difficult. Let’s consider the pros and cons of some of them:

It’s great when a corporate gift has personality, but the core issue is whether it reflects the personality and interests of the receiver. Is he or she a sports car buff? Does the person love art and craft? What’s her favorite color? What is that he or she avoids or dislikes? It is necessary to discreetly find out all these things instead of randomly picking a gift. The gift can never be bigger than its recipient?

When you make a thoughtful choice, your gift invariably reflects your sensibilities, and gives the impression that you indeed care about the person beyond business relations and hence have taken the time and efforts to understand his or her style, taste and even moods. In other words, you need to be doubly sure of your client’s choices and preferences.

Tickets to live entertainment and sporting events can make great gifts. Scarce seats for a sold-out concert or show can enhance your standing in the eyes of a client. Office-related items like pen sets and desk blotters are the safest bets. Exercise caution when presenting art prints and other decorative pieces, since tastes in office decor can vary.

Gift cards are preferable, if you want to take out much of the guesswork of giving. They are available from a wide variety of FMCG companies, super stores, malls and book stores that offer the buyer freedom of choice. The only problem is the amount printed on the face, which, for some, can be discomforting.

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Art Expo India (AEI) 2009 acted as a window to peep into vibrant vistas of contemporary Indian art. It brought together leading art galleries from India and abroad, to provide a glimpse of talented contemporary artists, working in various genres, styles, mediums and themes.

The second edition of the event was a fulfilling journey, involving art connoisseurs, collectors and investors. There were a series of informative seminars involving Jitish Kallat, Ranjit Hoskote, Alka Pande, Anjolie Ela Menon and Bose Krishnamachari, among others. Also on the panel of speakers were internationally renowned experts like Kay Saatchi and Judith Greer.

With years of experience behind her, Mrs. Saatchi’s keynote address on spotting young talent and building up an art collection was insightful as well as entertaining. Judith Greer, an independent arts producer and consultant for contemporary art projects, talked about ‘Art in Life: the daily pleasure of collecting’.

AEI struck meaningful partnerships to promote art in every form it exists. A case in point was its association with the London-based art initiative, Heart on Art, which organizes exhibitions, promote artists, hosts thematic art events, and collaborates with corporations to build a cultural connection.

Priyanka Sethi, the brain behind Heart on Art, is a keen follower of contemporary art trends. She has played a major role in evolving themes and outlining ideas for art talks and seminars at Art Expo India 2009. Her passion for art is reflected in her efforts to generate an interest in art and connect the broader art world with unknown markets, segments and people. Using her insight of contemporary art world, She played a major role in making the event a success.

Summing up the spirit of the event, organizer Vickram Sethi said, “Art is about looking without prejudice and approaching subjects without preconceived notions. Art Expo India created a space where collectors could see the context in which the art is produced and how far along the journey Indian art is.”

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Art Expo India witnessed a successful second edition thanks to the vision and planning by Vickram Sethi and his son Digamber Sethi. The dynamic father-son duo aided by a dynamic team of Trade & Technology Exposition Co. (India) Pvt. Ltd. made the event a memorable and fruitful one by combining their art expertise and managerial skills.

It was established in 1987 as an exhibition organizing company and several events on different themes were organized thereafter. Their flagship exhibition is GIFTEX, a showcase of corporate gifting. With over 70 Shows to their credit Trade & Technology have the experience, the ability and the understanding of the art market as well.

Mr Vickram Sethi has been actively engaged in promoting contemporary Indian art for over three decades. He is also the founder of The Arts Trust that organizes exhibitions and hosts art camps. The Institute of Contemporary Indian Art (ICIA) serves as a logical extension of The Arts Trust to showcase a wide pool of talent and creativity. 

He founded Asta Guru, an acclaimed online auction house, to connect art buyers from across the globe to Indian marketplace. He believes that art should be bought because you enjoy it, but having said that, as an investment it has continued to give a stronger return than traditional equity markets for those interested in investing in the medium to long-term.”

Digamber Sethi looked after the logistics and organization of the expo that involved constant coordination between different individuals and institutions from the domain of art. He is currently studying at University of Glamorgan, Wales.

Giving an idea of the background work and research that has gone into setting up the expo, he states, “Before launching AEI, our team visited art fairs all over the world interacting with galleries and art buyers to understand their needs. We have the ability and knowledge to put together an event of such scale and magnitude that would cater to the needs of the broader art market.” 

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Indian art is slowly but surely becoming a crucial component of an alternate investment portfolio. This shift of strategy is largely being driven by the fact that Indian art is drawing attention and valuation that it thoroughly deserves.

Contemporary Indian art is gaining prominence worldwide. So it is not mere coincidence that Art Expo India has emerged as among the most prestigious art events to showcase Indian art for collectors and art lovers worldwide. It is among the most important art event in India, a cultural highlight for the country.

The three day long Art Expo India 2009 event, starting from 25th September, is a platform to launch Indian art in the international arena with meticulous selection of top galleries and well-conceived program of special exhibitions, seminars and other events.

Speakers Schedule at Art Expo India 2009
25th September

5:00 pm: The Key note address will be Mrs. Kay Saatchi in conversation with Malika Sagar Adwani on spotting young talent and building up an art collection.

26th September

•12:00 am – 1:00 pm: Art in Life: the daily pleasure of collecting, Dr. Rashmi Poddar in conversation with by Judith Greer.

•3:00 pm – 4:00 pm : The aesthetics of the erotic Dr. Alka Pande, Satish Manashinde moderator Anjolie Ela Menon.

•4:30 pm – 5:30 pm : (X)topia: A Search for Place, A Place for Search - A Conversation between Jitish Kallat and Ranjit Hoskote..

27th September
•12:00 am – 1:00 pm : Everything is Art a panel discussion between Bose Krishnamachari , architect Shantanu Poredi moderator Rajshree Pathy.

•3:00 pm – 4:00 pm : Sharan Apparao & Menaka Kumari Shah buying art in recessionary times Moderator Brian Brown.

•4:30 pm – 5:30 pm : Kirsty Ogg  in conversation with Abhay Sardesai on Indian Art in an international prospective.

Art Expo India 2009 serves as an opportunity to know more about adding art as an asset class in your portfolio, and also as an option for gifting at corporate and individual level.

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Indian art is slowly but surely becoming a crucial component of an alternate investment portfolio. This shift of strategy is largely being driven by the fact that it’s drawing attention and valuation that it thoroughly deserves.

Of course, buying a piece of art for yourself for someone else is an art in itself! Bringing this to fore, Michael Moses, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business, has mentioned in an elaborate essay on the subject: “There are three beauties in some sense in art. The beauty of the object; the joy of collecting and meeting with people and talking with people and the excitement of the hunt; and there is the diversification potential of art in a portfolio.”

Broadly speaking, some research regarding an artist needs to be done before you decide to buy that artist’s work for gifting purpose. Following points give a clue to the artist’s intrinsic value:

* Age of the artist
* Academic qualifications
* Awards / Citations / Merits received
* Participation in National / International shows / workshops etc.
* Contents of the work
* Medium of the work
* Artist’ ability to explain the work and the thought processes
* Technique & style of work
* Buyers’ list
* Critics’ perception of the artist
* Association with prominent art galleries

The tastes of the person will also come into play. This can be very subjective. For example, someone may like figurative works, whereas someone else might relish abstract works. Some like decorative pieces, others take fancy to realistic works drawn from the life around.

Some want to get paintings whereas a section of art lovers are attracted to installations and sculptures for display purpose. This particular aspect must be kept in mind while selecting a piece essentially for gifting purpose.      

To cater to art lovers of all types and tastes, Art Expo India 2009 in Mumbai (Nehru Center) has a vast array of works on offer from India’s emerging and established artists.   

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There are eight important and famous abodes of Lord Ganesha. These are collectively known as Ashtavinayaka. The eight naturally-formed sculpted stone statues are housed in the old temples.

The Ashtavinayaka temples are just within the range of 100 km of each other. A lot of spiritual importance is given to these eight destinations in Hindu religion.

Each idol is Lord Ganesha’s incarnation as told in different mythological tales. The places, the idols and their incarnation stories are ancient. These narrate us about why and how these Ganesha idols got their particular names and came into existence.

Elaborating on the Ashtavinayaka, the official tourism website of Maharashtra state notes: “Vinayak is another popular name for the god loved and worshiped by Hindus all over, Ganesh. Lord Ganesh is known to be the protector of his ardent devotees. Eight (Astha) naturally-formed sculpted stone statues are housed in old temples at the places where they were first found. The temples of Ashta Vinayaka are within the range of just 20 to 110 km of each other.”

The sequence of Ashtavinayaka pilgrimage according to the convention as mentioned in puran as is as follows:
1. Sri Mayureshwar Of Morgaon
2. Sri Siddhivinayak Of Siddhatek
3. Sri Ballaleshwar Of Pali
4. Sri Varad Vinayaka Of Mahad
5. Sri Chintamani Of Theur
6. Sri Girijatmaj Of Lenyadri
7. Sri Vigneshwar Of Ozar
8. Sri Mahaganapati Of Ranjangaon

These eight places are all in western Maharashtra. To plan your trip, contact:
Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation;
Reg. Office: Express Towers, 9th Floor, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.
Information & Booking Office
Central Reservation Division, C.D.O. Hutments,
Opp. Yogakshema (LIC Building), Madame Cama Road, Mumbai 400 020
Check the MTDC Ganesha gallery here…

Mention must also be made of Ganapatipule in Konkan, a spectacular beach right along the Konkan Coast. It’s an idyllic getaway, which attracts beach lovers and pilgrims alike. The temple of Swayambhu (self-originated) Lord Ganesh here is visited by thousands of devotees every year. 

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The way of celebrating traditional festivals are undergoing a metamorphosis with the changing times, and so also the pattern of gifting. Rakhi is no exception to this. Brother-sister duos tend to share early phase of life together, and retain the bond even as they grow up.

Apart from sentiments, with big bucks riding on Rakhi, has the festival become more a show of ostentation, rather than pure emotion? This was the point raised in a ToI article.

Model Vasuki S, currently studying in NY, mentioned, “Rakhi is now largely commercial. It’s more about what you get from your brother. My brother is younger than me. But the thing, which touched me the most was when he saved from his pocket money at the tender age of ten to get me a gift on Rakhi. It’ll always be special when you can let your sister know that you’re there for her.”

With sisters not hesitant to demand opulent gifts, most brothers leave no stone unturned when it comes to getting the best possible for their sisters. No wonder then that the whole gifting industry has also evolved in keeping with the trend. So gone are the days when those run-of-the-mill gifts like some cash were the most common. Today it’s all about more luxurious spoils…

Art aficionado Timsy Anand stated, it was still more about making the sincere effort to connect with one another even with the changing thought that money could buy the biggest gifts.  And sisters can’t really stop putting up that long list of loving demands.

New Delhi based Garima Parnami, a model, added, “As for a gift, I want a new laptop. And I don’t think it’s about being materialistic. I want it because mine is really bad. My brother is aware of it. I know he can afford one for me. Gifting for me is a beautiful concept to show you care.”

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In our previous blog, we carried details of a news report, stating that the Zoozoo creator Vodafone Essar intends to release official Zoozoo merchandise with the help of leading retail chain Shopper’s Stop.

Branded character merchandise is a territory not many retailers want to tread upon because of the peculiar market conditions. One of them is intellectual property issues. Customer care associate & chief executive for Shoppers Stop, Govind Shrikhande, elaborated that character merchandising is rather easy to copy. There isn’t much control over violation of IP rights.

According to him, film merchandise has a shelf life of roughly two to three months whereas character merchandising is more challenging, particularly if the official merchandise is costly, thereby prompting the demand for their cheaper knock-offs. He estimates that the branded merchandise market is in the region of around Rs 1,050 crore.

Character merchandise has worked successfully in case of the Disney and other you can make your brother, both a cricket and Zoozoo fan, happy with a ravishing Zoozoo rakhi like SpongeBob, SquarePants, Ben 10, and Hanuman etc. The official Zoozoo fan club page on Facebook has over 3 lakh fans. Such branded merchandise works well for brand promotion. It reinforces the image of the brand.

E-commerce site Indiangiftsportal.com stocks products that feature the Zoozoos. Its MD Manan Sharma claims that his efforts to get an official license for Zoozoo merchandise failed. But he is not worried about infringement of IP rights? According to him, they are simply making the Zoozoos popular so there shouldn’t be a problem?

On the other hand, online merchandiser Myntra Designs Ltd has been a tad more cautious. Their creative designers contribute their own ideas and the site has rejected several Zoozoos based T-shirt designs owing to copyright issues.

Irrespective of pros and cons of the debate, the good part is that you can make your brother, both a cricket and Zoozoo fan, happy with a ravishing Zoozoo rakhi.  

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The next time you happen to visit a friend or colleague don’t at all be surprised if you are asked by your host what you’d like to choose — not from food options - but from a stack of board games! Despite intense competition from the online games and Xbox 360 and Playstation, newer, more interesting and more exciting variants of the good old Snakes and Ladders as well as Ludo are here!

According to owner of Ram Chander & Sons, counted among India’s oldest toy shops, board games are doing well. Businesswise, he is very happy since eager customers are walking into his store armed with a list of games they have checked on the net. He has been quoted as saying in a newspaper interview: “Families walk into our store and ask for at least three different Scrabble versions.”

Board games act as a great binding force. For instance, the US based investment banker, Ajesh Shah, who returned to India a few years ago to launch ‘game clubs’ for likeminded gamers, is busy finalizing plans for the new round of ‘board game night’ in Mumbai. Shah’s Peacock Projects is a forum for organizing cultural festivals while also trying to promote newer names in the domain of dance, music and visual arts.

He is a board game ‘freak, and began a new club, entitled ‘Board Game Bash’, where members register and assemble to play board games. The response, informs Shah, who owns close to 20 board games, has indeed been overwhelming.

There are already about 150 registered members. Shah began the initiative with Tarun Durga of Zapak games. The duo is now in the process of launching a host of interesting board games for the niche market. So, if you are looking to present something interesting to your best friend or colleage, pick a challenging board game. He or she sure would relish it…

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This post will offer more details on the concept of gold ETF and how this instrument can be an indirect opportunity for buying gold bullion to the person whom you gift it.

Generally, the price of one unit of gold ETF represents roughly one gram of gold. These are passively managed funds hence their NAV will basically track the gold price in the open market.  The holder can buy and sell the units just like one would buy and sell shares.

Despite recent correction after a sustained rally, gold prices are expected to firm up further over the coming few years. This will lead to a corresponding increase in the NAV of gold ETFs. Especially owing to the debasement that many countries are subjecting their respective currencies to, bullion would emerge as a valuable asset.

Investment expert Sandeep Shanbhag noted in a recent article: “In times of turbulence, gold has gained over almost 57% in the last couple of years. The moot question is: does it really make sense to invest in the metal at current levels? Look at gold ETF as an investment essentially as a hedge against inflation and its virtue of negative correlation with other asset classes such as fixed income securities, commodities and stocks during uncertain times.

When markets are erratic and unpredictable, the wise thing to do is just to step up exposure to an asset, which would infuse a semblance of strength and stability to the portfolio. The simplest and probably the most efficient way to do this is investing in a gold ETF.”

However, you should weigh its pros and cons. For example, investors should not look at gold on the basis of returns in a small time frame. Give them a long enough period to multiply your wealth. This won’t happen overnight. Someone looking to give a meaningful gift sure should consider gold ETFs.

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