India, July 2 -- The best things in life are free. While a shopping spree burns a hole in the pocket, the carry bag is a cherry on the icing. It's a trophy, a status symbol. Possession syndrome is a dominant trait and more often than not women are gatherers by instinct. We avoid wasting and devise means to reuse. No sooner does a carry bag reach our home than it is segregated, scrupulously categorised, neatly stacked at its designated spot. The micron ones: in the kitchen as garbage bags; the ones from eateries: as giveaways to house helps; and the sturdy ones as shopping bags for groceries. My parents instilled the habit of carrying our own cloth bags to the market and saying no to hazardous plastic bags as a duty towards Mother Earth. Plastic carry bags find limited entry in my home. Upon a bet, lift the mattress in a middle-class home and unravel a treasure of lovely carry bags. Each bag carries a memory, from a holiday sojourn, a gift from overseas. Saved for appropriate use in future, some are seldom used and some are flaunted often. The exquisite handcrafted bags filled with goodies make a stylish return gift. The footwear stores offer smart carry bags that can conveniently be used as shoe bags while travelling. Remember to line your suitcase with a sturdy carry bag as protection and pack a few as dirty linen bags. Quick commerce platforms deliver groceries within minutes and I adore their thick biodegradable paper bags. They serve as excellent place mats in shelves and drawers. The other day I even upcycled one as a wrapper. Simply cut the handle, turned inside out, wrapped my parcel and off it went to speed post. But my glee was short-lived as my son clicked the no carry bag option in my app. Nowadays, we get jute carry bags as a seminar kit; a showcase of the social initiative of the institution and an environment-friendly gesture. A flashback to the stereotypical jhola brigade of the seventies. These sturdy commemorative bags not only add to your academic quotient but can also be used to carry your books. A few kept in the car come handy during an impromptu supermarket trip. One fine day, I will walk out of a swanky mall with arms full of branded carry bags at my snooty best. Till then no harm in living it vicariously, is there? A carry bag with a famous logo does add to the style quotient. As I cruise through the staffroom flaunting an international brand carry bag nonchalantly, albeit a saved one from someone else's shopping, enjoying the sly looks of my colleagues, I am compelled to pen this ode to the carry bag mania....