Celebrities pay tribute to designer Satya Paul
Veteran fashion designer and the founder of the acclaimed Indian clothing brand, Satya Paul passed away on January 6 at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore. He was 78 years old.
Paul was best known for his use of vivid colours and unique patterns, and his designs were worn by several Bollywood celebrities including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Malaika Arora, Karisma Kapoor, to name a few.
Paul's son Puneet Nanda in a long emotional Facebook post shared the news of his father's demise. "Satya Paul, 2Feb 1942 - 6Jan 2021, Thank you to all who have sent messages... a few notes about his passing."
"He had a stroke on Dec 2 and as he was slowly recovering in the hospital, his only wish was to get all the things he was being monitored and poked with - removed so he could fly away. We finally got clearance from doctors to take him back to Isha Yoga Center, his home since 2015. As per his wish, he gently passed on with blessings of the Master," Nanda wrote.
"Most people are not aware, more than as a designer or entrepreneur, he has been steadfastly a seeker. In the 1970s his inner journey started with going to listen to talks with J Krishnamurty, later he took sannyas from Osho. After Osho left in 1990, though he was not seeking another Master, he discovered Sadhguru in 2007," the Facebook post stated.
"He immediately started enjoying the path of yoga and eventually moved here in 2015. He has been a doorway for hundreds of people towards spirituality and all the Masters he was so blessed to have been with," the post further read.
The official Instagram account of Satya Paul also honoured him sharing several portraits of him. "Celebrating the beautiful and inspiring journey of our founder, Mr Satya Paul 1942-2021," the team wrote along with a series of pictures.
Several celebrities also paid tribute to the iconic fashion designer, including Masaba Gupta, who has briefly worked with the label as a creative head. She wrote on her Instagram stories, "A true example of an actual brand, homegrown. Put in corporate hands at the right time and one with a signature that will stand the test of time. Fashion schools – please introduce young Indian design aspirants to this brand in schools and various other homegrown brands. We can be inspired by the story of Chanel etc but we must learn what happened on our soil first."