The real chaos here is that you're essentially gifting someone a mirror for their ambitions, and that's a delicate thing. Har Indian family mein ek aisa banda hota hai: college ke baad se channel launch karne wala, jo abhi bhi "sahi waqt ka intezaar" kar raha hai. Gifting them gear isn't encouragement, it's a soft ultimatum. Now they either use it or admit, to themselves more than to you, that the dream was always more comfortable as a fantasy.
Start with audio, not video. A USB condenser microphone is the thing that separates "I made a video" from "I made something watchable." Bad audio is the actual reason most homegrown Indian channels die in the first three uploads, not bad ideas or bad editing. Pair that with a ring light, specifically one with an adjustable stand rather than a clip-on, because every aspiring creator in a 2BHK is negotiating with tube-light shadows and off-white walls. A flexible gorilla-style tripod rounds it out: most beginners shoot solo on their phones, and a standard tripod locks you into one unflattering angle for the whole setup.
Don't buy a camera. It feels like the obvious upgrade, but it sends the wrong message: that their phone footage is the problem, when nine times out of ten the problem is they haven't pressed record yet. Skip anything that requires an existing audience to be useful too. Merch templates, channel branding kits, green screens, these are aspirational purchases that collect dust when the basics aren't sorted. The goal is to remove excuses, not add more gear to the "I'll start when I have this" wishlist.