You don’t really need chandeliers and Persian carpets to be house-proud. For someone like graphic novelist Sarnath Banerjee who feels comfortable in a pair of shorts even at formal dos (he came in shorts during the launch of his book The Harappa Files recently), everything doesn’t need to be prim and proper. Even a not-so-perfect house is ‘cool’.
So when we reached his home for the shoot, it was surprise for his visual artist wife Bani Abidhi — he had simply forgotten to inform her.
But he invites us into the softly-lit corridor that leads to the drawing room which at first glance, looks like a geek’s paradise — a big bookshelf is packed with every inch and covers an entire wall.
There’s also the lady of the house, working on her laptop on the dining table, who Sarnath informs is the decorator of the house. “I’m least involved when it comes to buying stuff for the house. It’s Bani’s domain both to buy and decide where to place what,” he says.
So now it’s Bani who takes over the conversation and lead us through the house. She admits being very resourceful. “I don’t really go after branded things for the house. I buy anything that looks good and I know would fit in my living area,” she says pointing at the chairs she picked up from Amar Colony. A desk has been inherited.
The paintings and photographs are eclectic. If they have some pictures of wrestlers on one wall, which Sarnath got from Pakistan, on another, there’s a picture gifted by photographer, filmmaker and also a friend Sooni Taraporevala. At the entrance are Bani’s artworks.
Many items in the house are quirky. “I don’t think twice before picking up something that another person would discard as useless,” says Bani. Indeed, the ’70s style cabinet in the living room remains almost vacant because the couple has not got “interesting” stuff to fill it up with.
And then it’s Sarnath’s turn to speak. “Even if we don’t have a beautifully done up house, we’ve not had a single guest who says he wants to leave soon. People come here and fall in love with the ambience and want to stay longer.”