Content-ment!

If you presume that the only gadgets to find pride of place in a woman’s purse would be a mobile phone and an MP3 player,you cannot be farther from the truth. The list of gadgets women fancy can be endless,from a small pen drive to digital cameras and ipods. With gizmos made exclusively for women flooding the market,it comes as no surprise that the new-age woman has chucked the conventional make-up kit for the iPod and the latest music player.

For Pradnya Kulkarni,her mobile,a pen drive (when out of office),an extra watch and a digital camera (while travelling) are must-haves. “I also want to add an iPod to the list but it’s a pity that gadgets add to the clutter in my purse,” adds this IT professional. While Pradnya likes to carry gadgets around out of choice,for Amrita Banerjee,another IT professional,it is necessity that makes her put gizmos into her handbag. “Along with the make-up kit,I carry my iPod,my mobile phone and my pen drive,” she says. Sabeta Yumnam,a BPO employee,is someone who likes to carry a large bag with her and put into it everything and anything she can think of. “A mobile and an iPod are always there in my purse,along with a digital camera,when I am travelling,” she says.

Changing priorities of the working woman of today can be the reason why one notices a change in contents of her handbag. Nita Deshmukh,a journalist,says,“I always carry my mobile phone charger with me wherever I go. I also carry a water bottle in my handbag. It is also necessary to be tech-savvy and carry other essential stuff,specially when you are working almost round-the-clock. You never know what you will need at what time!”

While some people may think that handbags have been reduced to a fashion accessory,Nupur Pradhan,an event manager says,“Bags today have become sleeker and so have the contents that go in. While previously,it was viewed as a necessity,these days,handbags are more of an accessory. Making a fashion statement through handbags is in vogue today. In the coming days,the content of bags will keep changing and so will bags themselves.”

It’s a given that handbags will remain constant companions of women in future too. When not digging into it for their pocket notebooks or lip gloss,they are equally at ease carrying around their iPods or cellphones in their handbags,which can more aptly be called their compressed treasure troves.