Never have I felt more grateful that my childhood and most of my teenage years were spent in a pre-liberalisation India. That was a time when we had just about enough to get by comfortably. Possessions were largely limited to necessities and, though we aspired for luxuries, they seldom came our way.
Our cupboards didn’t overflow with clothes, and we wore all that we owned rather than let them moulder at the bottom of the shelf. Even in our teenage years, we could barely hope to afford a branded bag.
Mothers, too, had at most two handbags — one for everyday use
