Polythene Packets

I confess I have a fetish for polythene bags. I swear it is hereditary. Runs in the family. Infact the affection for shirt dabbas also run in my family. My uncle used to joke that if there are 2 shirts to choose from, my grandpa will pick the one that has the better box.
Inspite of all the hulla I do on being environment friendly and refusing polybags whenever possible, old habits die hard. I cannot resist a good poly-bag sometimes. And after the kids, the ordinary opaque white ones have served me well as trash bags.
The choices are limitless. You have the thin noisy ones that will wake up a sleeping child. They get worn out pretty soon and you cannot re-use them for too long. Then there are the waxy finish ones which have a smooth feel and pastel shades. They look sophisticated and are ideal to put gifts in, despite the name of the shop printed on them. I personally love the pastel shade sixth sense shop bags. The good quality thick glossy plastic bags given by men's clothing stores especially are highly durable and stay fresh for long.
It takes me a lot of time to pick up the right polybag whenever needed. The lovingly and carefully sorted and folded bags placed safely in the cupboards out of the reach of greedy polybag hunters. I face an emotional situation everytime I have to part with one. Each bag has a story to tell. Memories are evoked when one chances upon a long preserved bag, guess works are done as to how the bag found its way into the house, what was purchased, where is that item now. I once used a shopping bag to trace the phone number of the shop in question.
Paper bags of Fab India have a great feel-good factor. The crisp brown-paper smell, and the stiffness of the bag- 2 factors that work in favour of them, but very low durability. The Titan bags are lovley for that matter but for the size.
I once bought a diamond ring from Ishi's. They gave me a stiff plastic tote bag in white and purple that I still cherish.
Jute bags of the Nalli variety offer great utility value but for the looks. I prefer the Hidesign drawstring cloth/ satin bags and make it a point to ask for them everytime I purchase something at Casablanca, Pondy. Unlike the Nallis they do not discriminate between value of purchase and the bag they give. Cottons in Gurgaon pack the purchases in cotton drawstring pouches of several patterns and sizes. A Singaporean colleague carefully selected patterns and colour combinations for the gifts she purchased for her family.
The Metro shoe bags serve the purpose of packing my sandals while travelling.
I even had a mini argument with a stall owner in the craft fair at Kalakshetra for not giving me his memento cloth bag for my purchase!
I guess the love for poly bags could be a starting point of what develops as a fetish for handbags, purses, wallets etc at a higher level! That explains why I am always in search for the perfect handbag.