Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The Bag she lives for

A man is known by the company he keeps.

How’s a woman known?

Never thought of that? well, that’s a safe bet. I kept thinking about this question from the time I came across the proverb. Whether you curse or admire me, blame my idle mind.

In my less than a half-century existence, I have tried all possible ways to know women. There were failures and half-successes … and in case I am a dignified person (which I have grown to suspect), there were other notorious attempts to inquire.

One of which bought me to this – a woman is ‘known’ (should I write this word?) by the bag she carries.

Yes, the bag … you read it right, and even with all my senses intact, let me repeat – the bag. These lovely pouches she carries as her favorite pet, possession, passion and sometimes a panacea – an all-purpose magic box to supply everything she needs.

Countless ladies, and their million choices to carry or hang around their shoulders – be it the shoulder bag, the hand bag, the clutch bag or the wallet … and so much more.

Once she carried a vanity bag – the cute, elegant looking dangler a few inches from her elbow. Her saree pallu was short, may be they were lesser in terms of what we get today. Those bags weren’t stuffed, almost dedicated to the show of vanity more than anything else. This was the ‘hip-hop’ lady of seventies, one who loved to party and show off status equated with the status of her executive class hubby (or her rich dad).

Cut to the woman from today, with those designer bags hanging from her shoulders, this time barely a few inches below her armpits (you would know if you have been looking around the right areas). Their bags dazzle, but with the tiny size, one would only expect bare toiletries inside. They have grown jazzier yet portray the materialistic woman, who prefers money and the ‘status’. They may look elegant and dress fashionable, but I have always felt them a few yards away from me!

Carrying a jhola-like big bag on the shoulder could be the sign of a lady who seems to be a down-to-earth person. I remember a lady friend of mine from college carrying an extra pair of slippers, just in case, inside such a bag!

Such women are usually decently independent, and a conventional carry-all practical person … often you see them as successful students, executives and housewives.

But beware. Some of those big ‘bagwaali’ pros are often known to carry their lunch boxes outside of their bags. Or the laptop, in some cases. This makes me wonder that though these shoulder bags have a lot inside, some items are a definite no-no. Hence the extra carry item. May be signs of the organized soul, don’t you think?

The tiniest member could be the clutch bag or the wallet. I believe these wallets are mostly relied for comfort. A wallet is small to carry, and cool … and perfectly romantic. This clutch bag, in case colored with a metal fastener behaves like a purse, and can even belong to the celebrity. Mostly filmy ladies are photographed in page three with these bags. Need I say more?

I have admired young ladies moving with their wallets and mobile phones tucked away in their palms as if they are mini icons of freedom. No real fashion here, I presume, though I haven’t seen their older compatriots donning these handy purses, which gives me a queer feeling. Are they a bit too modern?

But have you seen a woman go out on a date with a big jhola-like bag? I may have, but very rarely. The question arises whether a wallet proves the perfect fit for such rendezvous.

Somewhere between the big jhola and the cute wallet, lies the most popular ladies bag. Among women, they are the prized possession for many. They may adorn petite shoulders or appear clutched inside soft palms. Whatever the season, and for whatever reason, this bag is the object she lives for … and you can’t imagine her leaving that.

Want to know more? Keep watching the bag next time you meet her. I promise, you can continue to learn more about her.

23 comments:

Chhaya said...

Hehehehe..


this was a fun read.. i carry (most of the time) a backpack.. or nothing. The car key n phone fit perfectly in the pocket and the wallet in backpocket. what does that make me?? Oink!

i absolutely hate the "clutch". its too "girly" for my taste..

"Looking up in the right area" had me rotflmao :D
at least you are honest.

vicious said...

lol!!! that was truly the product of the devil's workshop ...thoroughly enjoyed !!!

keep up the observations ;)

vicious said...

btw ..i carry big bags that end just a lil below my armpits :)

IdleMind said...

@ Chhaya - Yes, I avoided that type of bag ... the metro woman styled backpack as you use. Seems a craze in my city as well!

As for my honesty, yeah ... as long as I hit the right areas. ;)

IdleMind said...

@ vicious - OMG! always thought you to be the serious type ... LOL. Anyway, keep carrying it, the bag I mean.

sandy said...

What an observation, Bondhu. Have always seen women carrying different type of bags, but never thought that it could be an interesting topic of blog as well.
Here I recall the wife of one of my close friends. She is the lecturer in an Engineering College. She carries her laptop in a jhola or side-bag and lunch-box/water bottle in her lap-top bag. hehehehe...

Anonymous said...

wow...!

what a interesting subject..
interesting thing also, which a man always excited to know what is there in it...

heheheh... kuch bhondus ko ye topic interesting nahi lagta.. :P

lekin koi baat nahi.. observation is d best. aur jahan tak girls student ki baat kare....... ohhoooo..... bahot hi excitement raheta hai boys ko unke bags kholne me :P

waise .. is "ladies' BAG" product ne gift market me bhi naya trend chalu kar diya hai., aaj-kal and its became a trend to give a stylish and nicely worked(designed) bags to impress girls. :)

nice and interesting post..
fully crazyy observation :)

IdleMind said...

@ sandy - thanks, bondhu. You made another important observation for me ... will definitely keep that for future!

IdleMind said...

@ CrAzYy..! ;) - Mere is post mein kuchh interesting hai ya nahin, yeh to aap log jaane. Par maine in doston se bahut kuchh seekha hain.

Ladkiyon ke bag kholne mein interest? LOL ... yeh aapne kab se seekha hai?

Anonymous said...

ladkiyon ke bag me lunch box ya chocolates jo rahete hai ........ :)

(jitno ke maine bags check kiye hai un sab me se ye hi do cheeze mili hai JO APNE KAAM KI HAI aur apne interest ki hai...... :P)

Maya said...

Very interesting bhai..

sala i never noticed the bag thing, i dont even know if they carry, i thought they dont carry bags anymore..

may be the last time i noticed a bag was with my mother, i dont knw if she carries it now also.. may be i shud be more attentive to the world around. i shud just stop being blind

IdleMind said...

@ Uncommon Sense - I am lucky to have a 'roving' eye ... kuchh zyada hi dikhta hain mujhe ... hehehe. And more so, if the subject is woman!

Tongue Trip said...

your variety of moods amuses me. this in plain-speak is fun.

Its my life said...

he he nice and fun in reading this write up of urs. Bags are like a part of a body to a women. Many of things we should learn from them. Like carrying bag where every item of us can be bumped..

IdleMind said...

@ Tongue Trip - thankee, thankee ... did u see my hat bow to your gesture? :D

@ Its my life - good to know that you share this instinct to learn from women. Incredible!

spiritual_man said...

In a fancy book exhibition once I bought a book wrapped in plastic, with a title "KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT WOMEN AROUND YOU". At home when I opened the cover It was actually a blank fancy writing pad.
On last page the message was "EVEN HER CREATOR ALMIGHTY IS BLANK ABOUT HER." So just the bag is not enough to know her. That communicates only the part she wants to communicate to others.
if you appreciate their assets they can be angry, and if you dare to ignore then also they can be angry.

vicious said...

i came back 2 reda other comments ...lol...i agree with spiritual man :P

InkTank said...

at last i got it! so this is the reason! u know what? every time i come close to knowing a woman, she changes her bag! so 46 years, and i havent known a single woman, not even aarti....she too changes bags.....hahaha

santosh said...

Henceforth I'll make sure to check the bag too. LoL!!
You have been doing a lot of site hopping, happy to have followed you here too!! regds

IdleMind said...

@ vicious - thanks for the second visit ... I feel lucky second time!

@ InkTank - LOL ... you got the underlying intent ... the root cause for this post. And I knew you will get it ...

@ santosh - yeah, it was a bit frustrating trying to settle all over again. Feel at home here for now ... well, I am a nomad anyways! :)

sonia bhattacharyya said...

Ha ha.. thanks for these little insights into the 'male' mind. btw, what is the safe bet here? Has it occured to you that the bag changes shape, size, and even colour depending on the destination and the convenience? Trust me, the designer bag waali also carries the jhola when it suits her. I have observed fashionable women purchasing colouful, mirror-studded jholas in Mumbai stalls and then showing them off in Kolkata as a sign of their fine taste and artistically inclined mindset.

Oh and I carry a backpack too these days :-) Sometimes I carry my "ladies bag" inside the backpack and a small wallet inside the ladies bag. What does that tell you about me?

All said and done, it was a highly interesting read.

IdleMind said...

@ Sonia - aah, the safe bet is to plead ignorance about ... err, women. And glad to get some more insights into that ... bag of yours! LOL

Dipankar Dasgupta said...

As is my habit, I set out on a nostalgic trip to the days when people like my mother were young ladies. I am trying to think hard, but I think women from the low middle class background of the sort I emerged out of, never carried a purse, leave alone a bag!

But that makes me think. My mother needed at least a container to carry her money, however meager. I think it used to be a frayed coin purse that would fit her palm.

I recall people referring to "vanity bags", a typically Indian English expression. It obviously meant a purse, which fashionable ladies used to carry in various sizes and shapes!

And incidentally, there was absolutely no way for looking up the "right area"! Even the most courageous of women, those who wore sleeveless blouses, would cover themselves up with the "pallu"! You would need to guess whether the blouses were sleeveless or not!!

Enjoyed this excursion to the world of womanly baggage!!

Deep Da