The case of the forgotten briefcase!

The laptop has become a part and parcel of every profession today. And with it, you need a backpack to carry the laptop around. From the kindergarten child to the top-notch executive, everyone carries a backpack. It has become so ubiquitous that it has become impossible to differentiate between a kid, an upstart and a professional!

Back then, any person of standing carried a briefcase. Like a king’s scepter and crown, it was an integral part of his persona. The briefcase had to be sleek. Any bigger and it would metamorphose into a suitcase and just wouldn’t suit the purpose. You never knew why people carried a briefcase. There was no concept of “working from home” back then. It was too slender to accommodate anything- not even a lunchbox. So, what did they carry in the briefcase? At best, some stationery, the day’s newspaper, a business card, and some magazines from the office library!

But when you stood at the bus-stop or the railway station with your gleaming briefcase, you made a style statement. It announced that you were employed, and you felt officious and important. Briefcases looked classy. Just a click of the button, and it immediately sprang open, like a prodded cobra! The interior was glossy and split into several compartments, that housed your personal items.

In Mumbai’s crowded local trains, the briefcase assumed several avatars. The briefcase was balanced across opposite passengers and served as a table-top for an engaging game of cards or chess! Sometimes, passengers doubled up as musicians to spend the travel time more meaningfully. While one sang latest cine songs, the other kept beat, with the briefcase functioning as a percussion instrument!

No yesteryear Bollywood movie was complete without the briefcase playing a prominent role. Invariably, the hero carried ransom money in a briefcase to be handed over to the villain at a shady beach. But the briefcase’s sense of morality was unquestionable. The villain would never pocket it. At the opportune moment, there was always some distraction that led to a major scuffle. In the ensuing fight, the hero battled with the villain’s hoodlums, with the briefcase serving as a shield for many a kick and a punch. Needless to say, it was the briefcase that saved the day!

We are saddened that the briefcase that played such a multitude of roles and was a veritable Swiss-Army-Knife, has now been cast away in favor of the measly backpack. Even the Finance Minister does not carry it anymore while presenting the budget! Can we make a case for the briefcase and resurrect it back to life? We are sure it will provide ample entertainment that this generation has been completely deprived of!