Raw Mango’s Kolkata test

Three weeks ago, decorator Sanjay Garg’s Raw Mango opened its seventh store successful the country, this clip successful Kolkata. Many months successful the making, and delayed successful what immoderate would accidental a quintessentially Bengali way, the milestone manner infinitesimal was robustly celebrated crossed some societal and accepted media, arsenic good arsenic by the metropolis itself.

The launch, dispersed retired implicit 2 days, began with a store opening party, followed by a manner amusement astatine the Neotia Art’s Trust yearly trunk show, The India Story.

It comes astatine a clip erstwhile Garg is besides showcasing astatine the Serendipity Arts Festival successful Goa, arsenic good arsenic a textile amusement successful Paris. He calls it the “craziest clip of his life.” He’s besides owed to amusement astatine London Fashion Week successful February 2026, and each this begs the question — was present truly the time?

But the 4,800 sq. ft. store feels similar a quiescent triumph. This has overmuch to bash with however lovingly Sanjay and long-time collaborator, designer Adityan Melekalam (of plan steadfast Squadron 14) person treated the 1930s Kolkata Art Deco gathering it is housed in. Something “Calcuttans”, with their abiding emotion of history, person taken enactment of. While metropolis residents adore their architectural heritage, they’re often, prevention a fewer examples, besides unwilling oregon possibly incapable to sphere it,. Today determination are much glorious aged buildings coming down than coming together. It’s not without immoderate suspicion then, that an “outsider” attempting to dip their hands into this past is viewed. But adjacent the naysayers person humbly admitted — the store is beautiful.

An ode to Kolkata

Entering the Raw Mango bari, I was struck by its austerity, reminiscent of my grandparents’ location successful Kolkata. Almost eschewing commerce, the abstraction initially appears to person thing to sell, and invites you alternatively to instrumentality a seat, telephone retired for a cupful of cha, and chill your feet connected the century-old floors. When I constituent this out, Garg, with a twinkle successful his oculus says his abstraction is “the other of Sabya’s”, wherever each aboveground and country is chock full. “I similar him, I similar anyone authentic, but we are opposites erstwhile it comes to this,” helium says.

He isn’t wrong, and is besides the archetypal to admit that some aesthetics successful their ain mode correspond India, and of people luxury. For those who are acquainted with his Banjara Hills, Colaba, Teynampet oregon different stores, the benignant is consistent.

I drift upstairs, to the archetypal level of the house. Angular rooms that erstwhile indispensable person slept full families connected azygous expansive beds successful their centres, present look retired connected to Maddox Square Park, the tract for 1 of the city’s fashionable Durga Puja pandals, travel Sharada season. The agelong lines of the grills connected the beforehand windows bespeak perfectly the agelong lines of the grills connected the park. Like this, obliquely, the bari takes from the metropolis and gives back.

The furnishings is minimal, and follows the shapes wrong the house, often impractical octagons and hexagons that delight Garg, who has agelong appreciated Art Deco, and seems to person relished transforming this location into a home. As successful the rooms of a home, you seldom ever spot the apparel of the inhabitants. They prevarication wrong almirahs, built into the structure’s ain archetypal alcoves for the same, and it’s lone erstwhile you unfastened them that shocks of pinkish and golden and emerald creation out.

Cleverly, without trying to beryllium Bengali, oregon adjacent make an “ode” to the city, Garg has crafted an echo of one. The reddish oxide of the classical Kolkata location is present, but successful a subdued matt finish. The radiance it traditionally sports has been transferred to the doors, lacquered successful a diminutive oxblood.

There are tiny Gupta play statues, photos of Jawaharlal Nehru, and lensman Bharat Sikka’s enactment up, each from the designer’s ain collection. If you thought Garg mightiness person a goddess determination successful the house, deliberation again.

Alternatively, the statues of Kumartuli, the potters’ quarter, find signifier successful the astir Kolkata of things, 2 gentle figures of a resting thoroughfare dog, Chunu, created by sculptor Sahasrangshu Saha, elevated to oculus level. There’s besides the visitors’ washroom, awash successful elemental yet Subodh-esque steel.

A household affair

As always, with Garg, his household remains close, a ellipse woven astir him. A time anterior to the launch, I spot his brother-in-law Nitin Sisodia lasting successful the wintertime sun, overseeing past infinitesimal decor. Together with Prerna, Garg’s elegant sister who has played muse to the marque successful the past, they tally A Dialogue, a nutrient biodiversity conservation task that besides designs culinary experiences — and did the aforesaid for the opening night. Sharbats with marigold petals are distributed successful stainless alloy glasses. Clover leaves, for luck, enactment arsenic tiny spoons to mouthfuls of shorshe (mustard) cream. Gondhoraj (lime) atom bites travel astir successful leafage cones, and saccharine sandesh and mishti are laced into lotus flowers.

The nutrient is served successful an unfastened aerial backmost courtyard that feels similar an ode to Garg’s Rajasthani roots. Standing there, euphony wafting into the night, helium looks up and abruptly says, “This is wherever I’ll chopped my marks. This is wherefore I tin ne'er beryllium satisfied. There should person been a airy here.” He isn’t wrong, and it reassures anyone listening that helium volition proceed to amended connected some the space, arsenic good successful his knowing of the city. And determination person been misunderstandings.

As portion of the launch, a squad successful Kolkata recorded snippets of locals speaking Bengali. Sweet nothings arsenic good arsenic what Garg affectionately (to his team’s shushing) calls “the bakchodi of the streets”. The recordings look arsenic projected typography connected the store walls and immoderate played implicit Raw Mango’s Instagram reels. When released connected societal media though, 1 section decorator commented connected however the incorrect signifier of a Bengali connection had been used. The last statement successful the metropolis is that she was wrong, that it was simply a little common-in-Kolkata dialect, but the flare up that ensued showed a broadside of Bengal that mightiness beryllium speedy to propulsion down a decorator who dares to bring what galore consciousness are overpriced Banarasis to the authorities of the Banarasi-wearing bride. But Garg is nary alien to claims of appropriation, and has spoken retired successful the past astir the equilibrium betwixt borrowing from cultures and acknowledging them with respect.

Hiccups and criticism

When I inquire if helium is astatine each disquieted astir entering this market, Garg says what scares him sometimes is that Kolkata is simply a “sari-wearing market”, suggesting this is simply a trial successful immoderate ways, but emphasises the emotion the marque has received successful the metropolis implicit the years. He says it isn’t conscionable Marwari clients helium has, arsenic galore assume. “Our Kolkata clientele is made up of an adjacent fig of Bengalis arsenic Marwaris, and of people others.”

The evening of the amusement though, beforehand enactment seats spell empty. Something that a fewer radical susurration would simply ne'er hap successful different cities, and that near others wondering if this reflected a city-wide cognition towards the brand. Most absentees insisted it was the postulation — peculiarly unspeakable that evening. Other criticisms came up successful the prime of euphony for the show. Curated by arts acquisition institution Artsforward, musicians from the corporate The Other Borno performed a unrecorded portion made to consciousness similar a thoroughfare protest. Inspired by singers Bhupen Hazarika and Paul Robeson, it honoured the Ganga. The communicative felt similar the cleanable tribute — a stream that flows done the country, and makes its mode from Banaras to Kolkata. Despite its almighty messaging though, immoderate viewers complained of the dissonance betwixt the audio and ocular experience.

The covering itself, arsenic always, went beyond Banarasi, showcasing a assortment of Raw Mango pieces, not each caller creations but an amalgamation. An eye-catching greenish bandhani coat, wide striped skirts, an exquisite scalloped achromatic sari. Different textiles shone and came together, beautifully styled by Nikhil D., who layered garments successful a mode that felt some chic and cosy, arsenic the temperatures dropped.

But whether the metropolis of analyzable joys volition genuinely clasp Garg and his dreamhouse, is yet to beryllium seen. He is hopeful though, and afloat of emotion and admiration for Bengal.

The writer, spoken connection poet, and screenwriter is based successful Kolkata.