Do you have a perfect present?

Are you losing your hair trying to choose a gift for Friendship Day this Sunday? I help you.

It's the time for dil, dosti etc. With Friendship Day knocking on the door, youngsters are buying gifts, greeting cards, and, of course, friendship bands to show their love for their pals.

A wide range of special friendship bands and cards have flooded the Ranchi markets this year. Shopkeepers are also wooing the customers with various types of band, ranging from colourful plastic ones to the more sophisticated metallic bracelets that can adorn the hands much after Friendship Day is over.

Shashwati Shrivastava, a student of Women's College, said, "I have bought a metallic bracelet for my friend. I think, she can match it with all her clothes and wear it whenever she wants."

Most popular among the friendship bands are the evil eye bands and those made of metallic balls. A glittering band available in the market with friend imprinted on a leather wrist watch is also a hit among the youth.

Metallic bands are available in the range of `125 to `299 whereas their plastic and rubber counterparts are available between `35 and `99.

Greeting cards have also gone a step ahead. Instead of simple cards, those in the form of certificate and scrolls are gaining popularity this year. Franchisee holder of gifts gallery in the city, Kundan Kashyap, said, "The cards in the form of certificates, costing `65, are the most popular this year." The certificate reads 'This is to certify that this person is declared the best friend in the world'.

However, it's not only fuzzy warm messages that are attracting youngsters. Some of them are all set to gift bracelets, key rings, lockets and photo frames to see a smile light up their special friend's faces. Stones, metal and bead embellishments on fabric ranging from velvet, silk, fibre and leather that have "friend" written on them are immensely popular.

The newest addition to the market is the diamante and Swarovski embellished key rings. Suhas Burman, the owner of a city gift shop, said, "These key rings cost `199 per piece and are more popular among boys."

Friendship lockets have also made inroads into stores. There are two similar looking
lockets in one box for both friends. These lockets are available for `249. "I'm buying this locket so that my friend and I always were it and remember each other wherever we are," said Niharika, a student.

Cute photo frames and coffee mugs that flaunt comic quotations or have sentimental value are also selling like hot cakes. Gift-wraping any of these with love and a box of chocolates will undoubtedly ensure that this Friendship Day is well spent.

Pick the perfect present on Friendship Day

Are you losing your hair trying to choose a gift for Friendship Day this Sunday? Avi will help you.

For the amigos worldwide, it's the day they can shower love to those who have fought with them, have become their guilty mirrors and would definitely stand by them till the end of time. It's Friendship Day this Sunday and youngsters in Bhubaneswar are gearing up to celebrate this special day with much pomp and show. Needless to say, the gifts shops have attractive merchandises in plenty to help them celebrate this day.

This year too, regular goodies like friendship bands, cards, quotation frames, coffee mugs are already on the racks. But, if you are looking for something unique to surprise your best friend with, there are pretty and colourful designer bags shaped like frocks, shoes. And guess what? They are filled with chocolates. According to Ravi Dewan, owner of a gift shop in Shahid Nagar, it's the frames with sweet and cheeky Friendship Day quotes that are attracting youngsters the most. "Wooden and glass frames with interesting texts written about friendship, glass photo frames with nice friendship quotes are popular gifts for this Friendship Day. Rakhi is over and these are now selling like hot cakes," he shares.

But, when it comes to choosing bands and goodies, people want to experiment. Girls have a special fascination for rainbow-coloured beaded bands and crystal bands. They are fashionable but pocket-friendly. Says Subhashree, a faculty member of a international school in Bhubaneswar, "Though everyday is Friendship Day for me, I still buy friendship bands and chocolates for my friends for the first Sunday of August. This year too I'll do
the same."

For the guys, Friendship Day kits consist of leather or metal friendship bands. Shubham, an engineering student, says, "I have bought a leather friendship band for my best friend. I think it will look really cool with the party attire he's planning to wear on that day."

So, what are these youngsters planning to do to make this day memorable? Avi tells us that all of his friends are going to attend a huge party. For Siddharth, it's a day to be spent with your buddies, wherever you are. "We are planning to go out and have fun the whole day. I have already bought some quotation frames for them," he says with a smile. Subhashree, however, plans to have a blast with her childhood friends at a beach. "This Friendship Day I'm planning to go to Kris to catch up with my friends. We are going to have a beach party. I'm eagerly waiting for this Sunday," she signs off.