Diwali 2024: When the gift becomes a cherished memory

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. I don’t have many memories of my father, since I was only 8 when he passed away, but the ones I do have are quite vivid. One moment that stands out wasn’t tied to any special occasion.

It was an ordinary day when my father came home with a toy—a yellow cup designed to catch ping-pong balls. To play, you pressed a button at the bottom that sent the ball flying into the air, and then you had to chase it around the room to catch it in the cup. The toy wasn’t wrapped, I think, but he presented it with a live demo.

I can still picture him running around in the room, excited like a child, trying to catch the ball, and how we all laughed. I feel it wasn’t just the gift itself that made the moment special, but the way he gave it, his unrestrained happiness. That joy is infectious, and it stays with you forever.

And that is my gifting philosophy as well. —As told to Avantika Bhuyan Also read: Source: Your style guide to channel the Halloween spirit Thirteen years ago, I received a gift that set me on the chef’s path. I was pursuing physics honours in Delhi University and binge watching food shows, which instilled the desire to be in a professional kitchen.

I bagged an internship at the Leela Palace when they opened in 2011. It was just for two weeks, and I gave it my all by working 18 hours a day. My reporting manager, pastry chef Sayed Kamre Alam, noticed how happy I was in the kitchen.

On the last day of the internship, he gave me a paring knife. It is small, super sharp and has a black handle. At that time, I didn’t know about knife boxes.

I used to carry it in my bag and would accidentally cut myself. Now, it’s kept safely in my knife box at the kitchen of Miam Patisserie. This knife sealed