In Indian friend circles, gifting during a breakup is a political act. The group is watching. Half of them probably sided with the ex, at least a little. The gift you send signals loyalty, your read of who was wrong, and how deeply you think they're suffering. Get this wrong and the gift stops being a gift. It becomes a quiet verdict: you think they're falling apart. Which, even if true, is not what anyone wants confirmed.
The safest category is comfort objects that require zero emotional labor to receive. An oversized throw blanket works because it's physical warmth with no subtext. A food delivery voucher is genuinely useful because cooking for one is its own small grief in India, especially if they moved back home and are pretending to be fine at the dinner table. A calming candle rounds it out, something grounding rather than romantic. The common thread: these are things they'd use alone, on a Tuesday, without needing to explain themselves.
What not to send: anything from the self-help shelf. Journals labeled 'New Chapter,' manifestation books, glow-up planners. In India these land as judgment dressed as care. The implicit message is that you think they need fixing, which is condescending in a way that outlasts the breakup itself. Equally bad is anything overly cheerful or future-focused. A 'treat yourself' skincare box reads fine in theory; in practice it tells them you've moved on from their pain faster than they have.