Text provided by Krishnapriya Rajshekar

The tightly-packed lanes of this city tell tales that tantalise my senses. The domes of its palaces peek out shyly behind tightly packed clusters of the growing new. Its ruins speak of more glorious times, crumbling arches framing a world beyond, its minarets, rooftops and flocks of pigeons celebrating meeting the sky. Incense and ghee, melting into the atmosphere, samosas and adraki chai at the government office, marigold tinged with kumkum and silver slivers of smoke that waft from the beedi nonchalantly puffed. If smell is a temptress, she has led me here with the question - where can I taste your city? And you said, “turn at the corner where the street curves upwards - follow the dome until it vanishes behind the building with the pillared front and you’ll know the place when you pass through the arch and see many others on the same quest - shoulders jostling, waiting for coils of batter to meet hot oil with a sizzle, turning crisp & golden minutes later, to be baptised in a vat of sweet syrup, emerging glistening, decadent - a sweet fit for royalty, one of the many tastes of my city.” The historic heart of any Indian city has much to offer the willing seeker and the reward is often a multi-sensorial tapestry that can transport one into a fabled world. The tale of Sangam Sweets originated in Somnath, Gujarat, and has been handed down to the present through the hands of six generations of royal sweet-makers. The space for their latest outlet in Kalyan Nagar,Bangalore, echoes the spirit of a craft inherited through tales transcending time, cultures & geographies, offering a delectable slice of tradition with pops of contemporary flavour, for the ever-evolving Indian palate of tastes. 

 

Sweet-making thrives on traditional wisdom and is all about balancing flavours and textures, the familiar and the surprising. The vision for the store for Sangam Sweets imagined it as a place welcoming to all connoisseurs of taste, from the ones with an indulgent sweet-tooth, the ones who need to balance meetha with namkeen, to the fitness enthusiast looking for just the right amount of sugar that meets their calorific goals. Being located in the IT hub of India, which also happens to lie within a belt that has some of the most beautiful historic monuments in the country, the store aspires to cater to modern-day sweet-lovers whose roots remain connected to the rich layers of our culture. The space was to recreate the poetry of past architectural marvels through the material vocabulary of the present, while also wearing the edge and verve of a city still young and growing. The interiors would provide a graceful backdrop showcasing the vast range of products on display.

The process of making tangible, the vision of the store involved developing a design language that captures the amalgamation of tradition & modernity within the Indian context. The old-world charms of India’s khau-gallis reside in the journey of discovery where the visitor is led through the unexpected bends and portals to chance upon shops’ buzzing with activity, serving up the city’s trademark delicacies A wrought-iron kadhai about to receive a swirl of jalebis mid-drop, hangs as a sign towards the street, beckoning to gastronomic seekers to turn at the corner where the sidewalk curves upwards wrapping a colonnaded display. The pillar, one of the key elements of space-making in early Indian architecture, is reinterpreted through a bold twist befitting a modern-day functional aesthetic. A series of pillars double up as illuminated display shafts, split in the middle and held together by delicate metal frame, presenting in a sweep glance the variety offered. The transparent facia wraps gently curves upwards leading through a multi-foliate arched entrance framing a pastel peach fluted facia guides as a pathway-internal ceiling. In an instant the eyes are fixated on undulating wall celebrating Karnataka’s architectural heritage through vignettes of the lesser-known monuments -the backdrop to the sweet counter. The various display sections of the store are visually united by subdued material finishes of muted beiges, luminously pale quartz, wavering patterned tiles and burnished brass highlights.

The fluted ceiling leads to a series of filigree-like metal arches framing the seating areas and service counter in a gesture of invitation. Against this elegant backdrop, the items on display come vibrantly alive, affording a trip down memory lane to bazaars sandwiched between richly historic street fronts, branching out through multiple archways. The visual journey ends, while paving way for the taste to engrave in one’s memory for ever.