Adios Gudda: Farewell to India's fashion icon

Rohit Bal was known for blending Indian couture witha modern twist and loved to use peacock and lotus motifs

- RANOJOY MUKERJI

I first came to know Rohit Bal in 2001. 'Gudda' as he was known to his friends was a largehearted gregarious per son, always up for a good time. Born in a Kashmiri Pandit family on May 8, 1961, the family moved to Delhi from Srinagar where Gudda completed his education from DPS Mathura Road and St. Stephen's College in Delhi.

The first time I met him, I had tagged along with a friend who was interviewing him. He sat in his trademark white jacket and trousers and was wearing a white hat, smoking a cigarette. I will never forget that sight. I was a rookie journalist, and yet there he was the king of Indian fashion. He never let me feel that he was so big -his warmth and friendliness was like a comfortable blanket engulfing you. He would immediately put you at ease with a smoke and a drink. He was the royalty of Indian fashion.