The Note in the Bag

Ila was finally going home.After two long years abroad, she packed her memories into a single, slightly overstuffed suitcase. Inside lay what she loved most — not clothes or souvenirs, but a small army of handbags, clutches, and purses, each hand-stitched in long, quiet nights.Every bag had its own story. One was made from an old saree she found in her mother’s trunk. Another, from a fabric she’d dyed during monsoon just to capture the color of rain. Every single piece was meant as a gift for someone in her family — her sisters, cousins, aunts, even her neighbors back