A SABYASACHI STATE OF MIND

The Sabyasachi flagship store in Mumbai is a slice of history housed within a glorious neoclassical building built in 1913

- SHRITI DAS

It was probably never about maximalism at his flagship store in Kala Ghoda. "Bhalo legeche, tai," says Sabyasachi Mukherjee summarising the why and how of putting his vision to life. Loosely translating to, 'I like it, that's why' the Bengali phrase encapsulates the nonchalant poise that is quintessential to the land of mishti and maach. "The store is full of things. Some are very expensive, some have absolutely no consequences, some are just funny. You see, Bengalis are sentimental hoarders... we assign value to sentiments. There is a casualness about the way Bengalis keep their wealth, it's charming because it's detached and that was the entire idea of the store. When we like something, we have the intellectual wisdom to assign value to it. The onlooker doesn't have to like it, and that's confidence. "We built this space like that," he asserts. And it emulates the Bengali home in spirit with a whiff of an old world nostalgia. "I wanted to create experiences that felt like my home. Which has the kind of tea I like to drink and serve. The showcase and antiquities, the playlist, the music, t