Madhav Agasti completes 50 years in business !
A long time ago, to be exact 27 years ago, when I was in NM college I happened to become a close friend of a very rich fellow collegian. Rich in the sense, he travelled from Juhu to NM college (distance of 5 mins) in a SUV car at that time, wore fantastic shirts, use to get all permissions to travel and party, and had some awesome wrist watches, which for me, was a dream…Obviously me coming from BEST bus to attend prestigious and the college for the riches, very few had shown the warmth, so this boy’s friendship for me was for the keeps! And not to forget the shirts I wore (with pride) were from a brand called ‘Oxemberg’ and a denim was bought that of Fashion street and years later from seconds outlet at Lower Parel which was a big thing for me at that time. This rich friend happened to take me to his house where for the first time, I saw an altogether new concept called ‘Laptop’. On my special request my friend showed me his shirts collection which I was in awe from the day I had met him…while hiding the colour lost on my collar of the Oxemberg shirt with my palm, I dared to take a sneak peak at the brand which my friend had 100’s of them hanging in his ‘wardrobe’ . The brand said ‘Rahul Agasti’ and I dared to ask this friend of mine, the cost of the one shirt. Even at that time, with limited pocket money (Rs 100 per day that included travel too) I knew I could only see the shirts, and then began the journey to own at least one ‘Rahul Agasit’ shirt in my lifetime…
Without making any hue and cry of what I had seen, I ran to my Baba and told him about this brand. Baba said, “Vikrant if you think Rahul Agasti (a huge store opposite J W Marriott) is big and makes beautiful stitched shirts, you have to visit his fathers showroom at Bandra called “Madhav Men’s Mode”, (now ‘Madhav Agasti)’…Woh Rahul ka Baap hai, in all senses. My father told me, half of India’s politicians and Bollywood are dressed by Madhav Agasti, who my baba said is his very old friend as the Agasti’s too belong to Buldhana district from where my father comes from. I was thrilled! Then began the friendship for a lifetime for me, with the Agasti’s once I met them. Madhav Agasti, the patriarch, also known as ‘Madhav Tailor’ is the same person who has given Amrish Puri the famous Mogambo dress, or to Anupan Kher the Doctor Dang look in the movie ‘Karma’…Madhav Agasti just completed 50 years in this business and yesterday, a toast was raised for him and his creations that was attended by the who’s who of Maharashtra and Bharat politics, starting with the Chief Minister to Union Ministers, bureaucrats, and Bollywood, from Akashay Kumar to Anupam Kher and not to forget few big corporates and businessman, their elite clientele!
Madhav Agasti has completed 50 years in dressing up right from the ex-President of our country, ex- Prime Minister, many Chief Ministers to the lowest rank he must have done in his life i.e. ME (at a price which you can call ‘free’)! If you know the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and have happened to travel with him, his PA on flight will always carry those clothes hangers saying ‘Madhav Mens Mode’, be it nationally, or internationally..I think 99.99% Devendra Fadnavis’s wardrobe is of Madhav Mens Mode…Sharad Pawar’s all blazers, jackets he wears in winters at Delhi are of Madhav Men’s mode…If these two are wearing it, I don’t even want to start naming the clientele which has numerous MLA’s across party line of India politics, bureaucrats and some million other businessmen and Bollywood wala’s…Madhav Agasti recently celebrated his 75th birthday but this man does not want to stop even now…He yet travels cities, takes measurements and is still active at his Bandra shop all 7 days…
His legacy is truly taken ahead by his both able sons Rahul and Shantanu…Rahul now has taken a break from his ‘Rahul Agasti’ brand and ventured into construction while Shantanu is dabbling with his father and is fine designer himself…Both sons able wives, one of them is Maithili Rahul Agasti, is a fitness enthusiast, runs an NGO, and does every social activity in her Juhu area,…while Avvani Shantanu Agasti handles the Madhav Agasti brand’s marketing activities and also works at her own NGO…. what a role Avvani has played yesterday…Yesterday’s function was attended by top cream of Mumbai and Delhi and abroad too, it was so beautifully and seamlessly arranged by Avvani…and this function indeed was a brainchild of Shantanu that was going in his head for the past 2 years..Yes, to bring his shy father in limelight and get his due, it took Shantanu two years to convince him…And the most important person in the family is Mrunal Madhav Agasti, a lady that has ‘stitched’ the family together…By the way, Ganpati at the Agasti’s is another affair that not many miss…
This family being the large hearted, successful as I mentioned above, one thing I don’t like about them is the large heartedness this family shows to people…Yes, Agasti are a cut above, their clothes are cut above, and so is their niceness…Leading politicians and MLA’s often don’t end paying them…Jokingly once Agasti uncle told me, with my outstanding that is in the market, any higher middle class person can sit at home and enjoy his life if he gets that money…
Also just to inform, even if the Agasti family are meeting the biggest of big every single day or these stalwarts are coming to their shop, none of the family member has gone to anyone and said, ‘sir please clear my file’…Yes, that’s the USP and hence they are loved and cared from the likes of The Thackerays, Fadnavis, to Pawar’s since years…
To conclude, the highlight of the celebration was marked by an awesome speech given by CM Devendra Fadnavis in Hindi…So readers, those who want to know more, do grab a copy of autobiography “Stitching Stardom: For Icons, On and Off Screen.” Foreword is by CM Fadnavis and the end is by Sharad Pawar…A great family !!
Long live Agasti’s and may the tradition to stitch India and people abroad continue for generations to come…Let this ‘Made in India’ brand go higher than the Armani or a Zenia…
Vikrant Meena Hemant Joshi.
