Travelling to a new place? What do you carry back as souvenirs to friends and family? This is a common scenario that all of us are put into almost every time. While there are regional specific things that you can pick up, there are common dilemmas associated with each of them.

• Traditional clothes– might not fit well or the design and the colour might not be liked by the receiver.
• Local delicacies and sweets– It may not be a good idea if the receiver is dealing with some health conditions or certain diet restrictions. And then, food items also have a shelf life that would not stay fresh until you reach back.
• Local handicrafts– Again, needs to suit the choice and budget of the giver and the receiver.

Well.. The reasons and dilemmas may be several but it is easy to find options when travelling anywhere regional. But, the metro cities have usually evolved as an amalgamation of several influences. Be it culture, traditions, craft, food, lifestyle etc., they represent variety. Hence, what you might pick up as a souvenir may actually be something that represents a larger region or something very generic.

If you are someone travelling to Bangalore, it is very likely that you will pickup a souvenir that is a part of a larger region (Karnataka). If you are someone looking to take back something that is an authentic piece of Old Bengaluru, then here is my pick. This souvenir is exclusive to Bangalore and does not have influence from any other regions of Karnataka. While several local products can be bought even at a crafts fair at your very own city/town of stay, this is something that can be bought ONLY in Bangalore. These are something which are sold only at authorized showrooms located in this city alone. Gift these souvenirs and you will be loved!

HMT watches: In 1969, it was a subsidiary started by the Government run ‘Hindustan Machine Tools’ with technical collaboration with ‘the Citizen watches co. Japan’. Soon, these watches created some kind of a time revolution (literally) with the HMT watches being mostly recognized as a possession of pride. HMT clocks adorned all major clock towers and railway stations across the country and can be seen ticking in good health even till date. HMT’s seven signature clocks like the tower clock, solar clock, population clock, master slave clock, display clock, the International clock and the floral clock that are symbols of innovation, are placed at different places across the nation. Although HMT watches’ connection with Bangalore is strong because its factory was located here, these timepieces are a representation of a bygone era of not just Bangalore but of an India of the yore. These are masterpieces of Indian craftsmanship and something that was fondly called as the ‘Timekeeper of India’. This iconic factory was shutdown in 2016 due to severe financial and political reasons.

Although the manufacture of the clocks has become obsolete, the last few pieces of their wrist watches are being assembled in a small room above their showroom in Jalahalli. These are valued as prized possessions by several watch collectors and can be bought from a range of handwound mechanical watches, quartz jeweled watches, skeletal watches, automatic and chronographs ranging in the price bracket of Rs.500 to Rs.15000. While these watches are on their way to go out of production (they will be produced only until the stocks of childparts last), they can be a truly meaningful souvenir to take back that could be handed over to the next generation who might never have an opportunity to live through the real era of HMT watches.

Do you agree this is a nice gifting idea? What other things do you think represent Bangalore aptly?