We remember chatting with Smita Shroff of Elahe three years back when the fashion den that she and her husband Rajiv Shroff ran, was venturing out of Hyderabad for the first time in 20 years. She seemed “ecstatic” as it was sort of homecoming. Smita was born and brought up in Calcutta and had left the city 30 years back. “Elahe has been doing very well,” smiled Smita, when we met her Wednesday afternoon at Elahe Urban on Manoharpukur Road, the new den that opens today. And, yes, the happy smile was back, as she enthusiastically took us around the three floors that made up the store. The shell was a restored building with beautiful vintage-modern vibes. The Zen-like calmness was a narrative from the moment you drove up to the pristine white building.
Elahe Urban's Calcutta partners Manjari Tibrewal(L) and Ruchira Agarwal, with Smita Shroff