The gift that was Gudda: Tarun Tahiliani shares precious memories with Rohit Bal

Celebrated fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani paid a moving tribute to Rohit Bal and recalled their first meeting apart from sharing precious memories with him.
Rohit Bal, a renowned fashion designer, died on Friday after a prolonged illness. He was 63.
Speaking to India Today about his first interaction with Rohit Bal, Tahiliani said, “I first remember meeting Rohit Bal on the St Stephen’s specials that picked him up from Jor Bagh and then picked me up from Prithviraj road. Back then, it was a long drive in the heat to St Stephen’s and back. We spent a lot of time chatting, but I left soon after the first year, and decided to pursue my education abroad.”
About Rohit Bal’s body of work, Tahiliani said, “I was pleasantly surprised when, in 1998, we decided to come to New Delhi and bring a multi-brand ensemble. We met and started possibly carrying out some of Rohit Bal’s work, who had also come after working in exports, and started out as a men’s wear designer.”
“I think he might have designed for all the men in that show. Also, that was very exciting because at that time he worked with textiles, fabrics, and those beautiful shawls that he bought from Ludhiana,” he added.
“That was the moment in India post liberalisation, and opening up to a degree, we Indians were rediscovering our Indianness through more tailoring and structure rather than just textiles. He went on to bring this wonderful magic to women’s clothes, which always seemed to be inspired by the most elegant long silhouettes that he could tailor beautifully to perfection, whether it was for men or women. And the sherwani to the anarkali, and then the multiple variants of it, the sleekness, and the perfection that many Indian designers could not access back then because they didn’t have the family backing of the excellent tailoring mixed with his wonderful imagination.”
Tahiliani, who was also part of several fashion shows along with Rohit Bal, said: “By the early 90s, we did many shows together. We also represented India at one of the big trade fairs that used to happen in Germany. And, I see we were all discovering our own ability to cast spells to both our Indian subcontinent and that abroad, where the prevalent image of India was completely different to what this young generation of designers was showing fearlessly.”
While speaking to India Today, Tahiliani also recalled fond memories with Gudda as Rohit Bal was fondly called. “I also spent a lot of time with Gudda as a family member of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) both in Delhi and Mumbai. One of the most everlasting memories I have of him was a party that we threw at a farmhouse. Where you had to drive to a certain point, given that the farm was underdeveloped, and all these three-wheelers were completely covered like balloons, which then arrived at this party, which truly, at that moment of time, felt much more colourful and Indian version”
“When Gudda worked, he worked like no other, and when he partied, he partied like no other. The laughter and the creativity, are some of the gifts he will always leave with me when I think of him,” Tahiliani said.
Rohit Bal was suffering from a heart ailment since last year. He was admitted to the intensive care unit of the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in November 2023.
He made his comeback to work earlier this year and showcased his last show at Lakme India Fashion Week last month in Delhi.
Rohit Bal will be cremated at the Lodhi Road Crematorium in Delhi at 5 pm on Saturday, November 2, the FDCI announced in a social media post late on Friday.