Anniversary issue: Focus on entertaining

As Indians, we entertain generously. But peel away the decadence, the lush grazing tables, and the details, and you’re left with heirlooms, archives of stories and nostalgia, gathered to make you pause and slow down

17 Jan 2026

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Trend and Style Direction by Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Entertaining is the most instinctive expression of maximalism, an abundance of intention focused on the comfort of another. A table, a home, an evening: these are not stages to display possessions, but sanctuaries to honour guests. True Indian maximalism has never been about spectacle; it has always started with generosity, creating an atmosphere where memory, conversation, and emotion gather with multiplying effect.

When I host, I am not arranging objects, I am curating feelings. An heirloom tablecloth, mismatched silver, flowers from the garden, a brass bowl polished by daily touch. These are the patina of a life well-lived, an archive of experiences meant to be shared. On the table, you will find forgotten recipes, lost techniques, and cultural treasures we have abandoned simply because they demand time. A slow-cooked curry, an old-fashioned soufflé, a pavlova; foods unattempted because modern life insists on haste. Through entertaining, I try to bring back rituals, practices, etiquette, and decorum that once shaped our culture but have been flattened by speed.

Maximalist entertaining is my way of slowing down. Of reminding guests, gently, lovingly, of what they have left behind in their race toward the future. Everything is curated, through music, fragrance, food, memory, and touch to remind us that moving forward requires honoring where we started. These small revivals create nostalgia, belonging, and a quiet yearning. And that, to me, is the true purpose of entertaining: to give people joy, meaning, and a sense of coming home to themselves.