The Original Style Icon

Dadu had a deep, unshakable belief in the power of presentation.

The pride in one’s appearance, the attention to detail—he believed these weren’t superficial things, but quiet statements of self-respect. To him, how you carried yourself mattered. Your demeanor should speak volumes before you ever said a word.

If there’s one person who shaped my sense of style, it’s Dadu.

He was always impeccably dressed—whether in his sharply tailored blazers or his bold, loud Madiba shirts that only he could truly pull off. After he passed, all of us grandkids went through his closet and picked things we wanted to keep. I chose one of his blazers.

I didn’t alter it much—just had the sleeves trimmed to fit me. I wear it at least once a month. It’s my quiet way of keeping him close, honoring him, and carrying his presence into my everyday life.

Proof that Dadu and Ma invented cool.

There’s another memory that captures his love for fashion—and his obsession with perfect curation.

He had this pocket square that was four squares in one, each a different color. He adored it, because it matched practically everything in his wardrobe.

For four years straight, every time I was planning a visit to India and asked if he wanted anything, he’d bring up that pocket square. Always that one item. I never found one quite as good as the original, but eventually I found something close enough to replace it.

That single item, that small detail—it meant so much to him. And getting to give that back to him? That meant everything to me.

-Avantika "Chinu" Rungta