New Delhi, Oct. 20 -- Stocks to buy | Dussehra 2026 special: In India, starting an investment on an auspicious occasion is an age-old tradition. The tradition has continued; however, over time, the investment instruments have changed. In ancient times, during the Palaeolithic period (5,00,000 to 10,000 BC), there is no evidence of any investment as people used to live on the basis of hunting. Evidence of celebrations, gifting, and investment dates to the Neolithic period (6,000 BC to 1,000 BC), when people moved from hunting to agriculture. During this period, they began domesticating animals, which were used as a source of food and for insurance during famines and rainy seasons.

They used to celebrate crop harvests and adopted a gifting...