Woo(MEN) shoppers!

Take the case of Pankaj Jadhav,who works in a software company. “I love shopping and I make it a point to find time from my hectic schedule and hit the stores,and when I do so,I pick up a lot of stuff for her too. For example,on a recent trip to Bangkok,I picked up many t-shirts and quite a lot of junk jewellery for her. She loves to carry handbags,and over the course of our relationship,I have bought many for her,” he says.

The reasons are many and varied. Some guys,in order to spend more time with their significant other,go shopping with them,and thus get bitten by that bug. Some guys just like shopping,and while they are at it,pick up clothes and jewellery for their girl. Gautam Patil,an engineer,says,“I have always loved shopping,but my girlfriend isn’t really into it,so I have taken over the responsibility of getting her her clothes and jewellery. Plus,she works a night shift,so it is more convenient for me to pick stuff up for her.”

Some reasons are quite unique. Vishal Shah,a businessman,says,“My job requires me to travel quite a lot,both in India and abroad,and many times it is not possible for my wife to accompany me. Thus I have made it a point to pick up the best example of local jewellery of whichever city I might be visiting,in order to alleviate some of the ‘being-left-out’ feelings that she has.”

Today,there are also quite a few books and websites that help men to shop for women. Obviously it is no mere fad,it has become a social necessity for a man to be able to pick up the correct clothes and handbags.

With a few guys,shopping has become a habit. Prateek Sharma,a media professional says,“For the past few years,I have been posted from one city to the other,and whenever I’m visiting my family,I always pick up some jewellery and saris for my mother and sisters. Well,one thing led to the other,and today,I do the same for my wife too!”

Some are simply forced by circumstance. As Pushkar Sharma says,“My girlfriend is a shopaholic,and I love to see her happy,so to help her add stuff to her wardrobe; I keep getting her tops and jeans.” But he has learnt to love the regular visit to the shops; indeed he is quite confident that he recognises her taste. “She has a huge collection of shoes and half of them have been gifted by me,” he smiles,the pride in his voice unmistakable.