‘On Diwali night a star in the sky’: Fashion fraternity mourns Rohit Bal’s passing

The designer had suffered a cardiac arrest in 2010, and had undergone an angioplasty. In 2023, he was admitted to Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital in a critical condition. Speaking with indianexpress.com, the treating interventional cardiologist Dr Praveen Chandra had said, “It has been a few days that he has been admitted. He is critical and, of course, on ventilator support. He is on medications.”

News of his passing shocked his well-wishers, fans, and members of the fashion fraternity, many of whom took to social media to express their grief and shock.

In an Instagram post, Sunil Sethi said: “I have known ROHIT BAL, whom we all lovingly call ‘Gudda’ for more than three decades, his passing away will leave a void in the fashion design space forever. Everyone admired him for his attention to detail, how beautifully his lotus bloomed on modern shapes and his understanding of what modern women desired. Rohit changed the lexicon of fashion! He was the front runner in more ways than one— he led from the front, his clothing withstood the test of time and tide — just like him.”

Sharing a picture of herself with Rohit Bal from their younger days, fashion designer Rina Dhaka took to Instagram Stories and wrote: “Born to be forever young. On Diwali night a star in the sky”

Sabyasachi Mukherjee also took to Instagram Stories to express grief. He wrote, “Rest in peace Rohit Bal. You were much admired and loved by all of us at Sabyasachi.”

In a post on X, industrialist Gautam Singhania wrote: “Heartbroken to say goodbye to an incredible friend. You brought so much light, laughter, and kindness into the lives of everyone around you. I’m grateful for every moment we shared, every laugh, every conversation. You’ll be missed beyond words, but your spirit will live on in all of us. Rest peacefully, my friend. #RohitBal #GoneButNeverForgotten #InLovingMemory.”

Rohit Bal, an alumnus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, was born in Srinagar. He began his career in 1986 and was among the foremost names in the fashion industry worldwide.

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