Threads of Time

Founded in 1971, a heritage silk saree house has evolved from a neighbourhood store into one of India's fastest-growing traditional retailers

- • Tarunya Sanjay

The story begins in Kolkata with Sumati Chand Samsukha, who in 1971 opened Indian Silk House, a saree shop. Over time the modest showroom would become a trusted household name. In those days textile retail was fragmented and opaque; Samsukha built his business on simple but radical principles: quality, fair pricing and transparency with customers about what they were buying and where it came from.

Later as Samsukha’s sons—Dilip Kumar and Tarun Kumar—joined him, the business grew. Soon a new showroom was opened on Rashbehari Avenue, adding “Agencies” to the name. The location serving south Kolkata’s growing urban and upscale population quickly became a landmark for silk sarees.

In 1998, the Rashbehari showroom passed into the hands of Pratibha Dudhoria, Samsukha’s daughter. Known across Bengal as Pratibha di and affectionately as Pruaji in Banaras, she became the brand's emotional and operational anchor.

“She learned everything from my grandfather when she was just 13,” says Darshan Dudhoria, chief executive of Indian Silk House Agencies, of his mother. “Understanding artisans, understanding weaving, understanding why you don’t turn yourself into a polyester mill, that came from her.”

Under Pratibha’s leadership, Indian Silk House Agencies expanded steadily. New stores were opened both in Kolkata (Maniktala, New Market and Gorabazar) and other towns in West Bengal (Barasat, Purulia and Malda). The company would also branch outside its home state: to New Delhi, Lucknow, Patna and Raipur.

Even as the saree market became increasingly price-driven and synthetic-heavy, the brand resisted shortcuts. Sarees were once rooted in pride and emotion, but are now often reduced to commodities, rues Darshan. This makes the brand's long-running fight about protecting their meaning as much as selling them.