Picture shown below captures the “Diwali goodies” sent to a second cousin’s grand daughter who had just moved far away from home for her graduate studies. This is a small yet powerful gesture that brought great joy and festive spirit to the student and her roomies.
This is the older generation role-modeling naturally the cultural values of giving and sharing during festivals.
Exchanging gifts on Diwali is an age-old tradition. Whether the gift is big or small doesnt matter, any gift received or offered on Diwali are blissful. Giving is a big part of not just Diwali but most cultures.
Gen X is the “Me” generation, too caught up in their stressful lives thriving on independent nuclear family living. Gen “Z” and Gen “Y” or the “ Me Me”generation grew up oblivious to these cultural nuances unless they were exposed to multi-generational living
Millennials and traditional values
Gifting is a culture that has evolved with the unique and richer nuances and is not just a rigid, traditional construct. While personal and individual values take precedence over traditional forms, Indian millennials are still deeply rooted in familial values.
This paradoxical nature plays out in the process of gifting as well.
Millennials are an ethnically diverse generation. This cohort is open-minded since they were raised in a networked world. They develop friendships with people across all races, ethnicities, and genders.
Millennials believe in human rights more than traditions and religion. They do not differentiate between family and friends. They believe in the concept that all human beings are equal. They feel a deep sense of connection in helping each other regardless of relation, age, gender, race, religion, or political affiliation. A millennial may believe in a random act of kindness to someone rather than reaching out to a distant relative and gifting thoughtfully for Diwali.
Each country’s millennials are different, but because of globalization, social media, the exporting of Western culture and the speed of change, millennials worldwide are more similar to one another compared to older generations.
Benefits of multi-generational family
Different generations have different cultures, different values, and different ways of engaging in philanthropy. A generation typically shares values and viewpoints of the world, and as a new generation comes along, those values and viewpoints change. This means that every generation looks at the world differently.
Hence the importance on multi-generational living and passing of values across generations. Children growing up surrounded by family and multiple generations have the benefit of learning these cultural nuances and behaviours by observing and living through these values. We need to promote multi-generational families living together not just for child-care supervision but also for passing of cultural values across generations .
Joys of gifting
The joy of giving is truly a feeling that is indescribable — helping without expecting anything in return encourages kindness, compassion and generosity amongst us. By doing this, one pays homage to all the Indian old traditions.
- Spreading love and prosperity
- Promotes harmony
- Express warmth and care
