JHOLA vs POLYBAG

Polybag or plastic bags have today become the part of our daily necessity. We use these polybags in different sizes, colours without paying attention towards their adverse effects on our health and environment. I exactly don’t know from where these plastic bags came and now woven over daily life like a spider’s web. We use them proudly Ignoring all the harmful effects and considering only there comfort and convenience. Sometimes I really feel do we really need them. The bags add to a big problem that exists everywhere we go. There were the times when we used to see lush green crops standing and waving at us as we pass across the fields and now we could only see plastic bags blowing across open spaces and see them entangled in fences, bushes, flowers, trees, electric lines and everywhere else.

I still remember one of my childhood memories when I used to go to a local vegetable market with my    grandfather and his patented “old cotton fabric Thela”. He always use his custom made thelas to do shopping and other essential things of daily life and used to keep all his essential items, bills, medicines, documents and many more things in his different fabric thelas only. Those thelas were like mini world to him. One of those thelas is still kept safely by my grandmother as one of his few memories. Such types of things don’t exist anymore. Instead the overall scenario has been changed.

We all use polythene shopping bags and goods without noticing any negative change on our environment and it leads to nothing but making animals, aquatic species die a slow painful death. Plastic bags have been discovered to affect our environment in many ways. These bags are not considered to have the capabilities to decompose in a rapid manner. It is estimated the time for that process can be anywhere from 500 to a 1,000 years. Using plastic bags not only creates health issues but also choking our cities sewage system thus causing water logging. Moreover what I think about the present condition of our capital due to monsoons - plastic bag accumulation is one of the prime reasons. This problem continues so on to different cities, to whole country and world.

I don’t think in Indian context, plastic bags are much of a necessary thing. One of already available and effective replacement of plastic bags is “jhola or thela” made of cloth. In India, we have till very recently, used these reusable cloth bags to carry our shopping. So why did we give up this wonderful practice for these ugly plastic bags. The best part about carrying a jhola or thela is that its culture oriented, practical and trendy at the same time. In earlier times also people use these jholas, thela and potli in their day today life and travelling miles across with them and were equally happy. Taking the present scenario into consideration these products are very suitable as they are made up of cloth thus will decompose easily and there will be less chances of environmental pollution. Some other solutions of materials are wool, wood, food scraps and paper.

Bags made out of these materials are very easy to care and handle, are strong and can be purchased at quite reasonable prices. A person, if inclined to do can even sew some for themselves. For several years we have used this type of bag, as Tote Bags. They can be available in decorative designs and colours.

Some bookshops and high end shops already provide bags made from recycled paper to its customers but that is a very small step in this direction. I think it is time now to give back jhola or thelas its lost identity and pride .