What should I say? Should I say it’s my Sushmita Sen moment? No, I will just say that I’m feeling happy that I am being recognised for being Indian, primarily for being myself. I have always said that the only way to become global is to have a local soul. And I am really happy that this is being validated time and again in my career. Sabyasachi Mukherjee on Sotheby’s referring to him as “the finest and most original of the Indian dress and accessory designers”

The unique talents of Calcutta designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee are being recognised by Sotheby’s which is focusing on his saris and shawls in an exhibition to be held by the auction house in London.

The selling exhibition, “Inspired by India”, has been curated by “tastemaker” Janice Blackburn and designed by Tricia Guild of Designers Guild, who are both well known and highly regarded by Sotheby’s.

Blackburn told The Telegraph that she had personally met all the designers featured, Indian and European, but “Sabyasachi is a little out of that mould”.

“He is to my mind the finest and most original of the Indian dress and accessory designers,” she said.

“He doesn’t look to the West for his inspiration but rather the colourful low life of India — gypsies, the desert, Bollywood. His work is very Indian but in a way that in the West we understand and appreciate and value.”

The exhibition, from May 8-15, will feature textiles, ceramics, jewellery, furniture and photography by established designers, such as Alice Cicolini, Rahul Kumar and Sabyasachi as well as up-and-coming artists, including Els Woldhek and Pia Wustenberg.

Sabyasachi Sari

TAKE A BOW, CITY BOY!

Sabyasachi shawls

According to Sotheby’s, all the designers picked “have been inspired by the culture, colours and crafts of India. Their work demonstrates how traditional Indian skills can be incorporated into lively, contemporary work full of excitement and surprise”.

Included are shawls by Christina Kim, of the fashion brand Dosa. “For more than two decades Christina has researched artisan-made materials and traditions.”

Also offered for sale will be “Alice Cicolini’s distinctive jewellery, enamelled in Jaipur by one of the last remaining master enamellers and set with precious and semi-precious stones”.

Wrap, which takes its name from the ancient “wrapping technique” used to make royal thrones in 17th Century Jaipur, will be showing “stunning wood furniture wrapped in gold and silver”.

Delhi-based potter Rahul Kumar has made a unique series of pots, all in red clay.

All prices will be announced later.

The show will feature Milan-based Luisa Cevesa’s exclusive bags and table accessories incorporating sari fabrics sourced from villages. Photographer Gita Pandit’s often “humorous observations of contemporary Indian life” will be offered alongside a collection of vintage Bollywood film posters.

But the show has one star, it seems. “Pioneering textile designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s stunning wedding saris, and a range of specially commissioned shawls and headbands will be showcased.”

Blackburn said: “All the designers I have selected share a passion for India and have produced work which is a successful marriage between the best of fine, original design without compromising the rich tradition of India’s hand-making processes.”

She explained: “I visited and travelled extensively in India for many years and am particularly interested in crafts such as weaving, tie-dying, embroidery, enamelling, paper and so on.... It is sad that most of the skills and craft traditions we associate and value in India are dying out and not being passed on to the next generation who prefer to go to the cities. Much of the work is now mass-produced and poor.

“But there is a new generation of designers who are adapting these traditional skills and using them for well-designed contemporary work. This is what interests me. I have met and worked with several of these designers before.”

Sabyasachi clearly was someone special.

“His workmanship is exquisite — all handmade — embroidery, beading,” said Blackburn. “He has the finest aesthetic and stays true to his Indian roots. I have followed his progress since he first began designing and am absolutely thrilled he has agreed to exhibit in ‘Inspired by India’, both specially designed accessories — beaded head bands, purses and bags and jewellery — as well as a couple of wedding saris.”

Is Sabyasachi the finest Indian designer? Tell ttmetro@abpmail.com