When it comes to buying birthday gifts for mom or for that matter even birthday gifts for dad, it is a herculean task that strains all your brain muscles until finally you settle on something boring, comfortable and entirely forgettable.

Don’t let this year be the year that your birthday gifts for mom and dad are yet another snooze fest. This year, when buying a gift for either parent, focus on what they’d love to use for a long period of time!

1. Saregama Carvaan – Portable Music Player

A gorgeous portable music player with in-built stereo speakers, the Saregama Carvaan is the ultimate gift for music lovers and ranks on the top for birthday gifts for mom or dad in India today. Imagine your parents’ joy as they listen to their favourite tunes by artistes like Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd. Rafi, Gulzar, and other legends as they go through their day!

The Carvaan comes packed with a 5000 Hindi songs library and also doubles up as a home radio. If your parents have other music, they can plug in a USB drive or even stream songs from their phone via bluetooth.

The classic retro look and feel, paired with the ease of use and versatility make Carvaan one of the most ideal birthday gifts for dad or mom.

2. Gift Cards

The perfect gifts for mom or dad are the ones that will make them think ‘what a thoughtful child I have!’ This one, however requires a bit of research. Spy on the parents, like they did to you when you were growing up (or probably still do!) Find out where they shop or places they like to go to often and buy them gift cards for those places. Most restaurants, movie theaters, coffee shops etc. now offer gift cards. The Saregama Carvaan (the gift mentioned above) can also be paired with Music cards available on saregama.com . So get to know your parents’ tastes and surprise them with a gift card they can use.

3. Accessories for their favourite ‘Timepass’

Whether you believe it or not, many parents have some really intriguing hobbies! Yours too! They may love birdwatching, collecting stamps, coins or making photo albums of their sweet children (you wish!). Whatever their ‘timepass’ or hobby, find an accessory that can be useful to them in that activity of theirs. If they’re a stamp collector, they could always use a magnifying glass or small tweezers, maybe an entire set.

4. Gourmet Coffee or Tea

Chai and coffee have come a long way in the past few years. There is a gourmet version of every kind of tea and coffee nowadays. Surprise your dad with a handsome collection of teas from around the world that he can savour any time of day. Give your mom a coffee powder along with a manual pour over coffee kit so she can have friends over for gossip and caffeinated afternoons!

5. Wrist Watch

Our parents love their wrist watch. Wherever they are going, they will make sure they wear their watch before leaving the house. So this birthday, buy them a good wrist watch, that reminds them of you every time they look at it.