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mid-day told you in July last year that there was something happening at the Asiatic department store in Churchgate. Departments were cleared out, and the store had all but gotten a new name. We discovered recently that it has now — Kala Niketan. 

Although this was only a matter of time, a recent post on Facebook displaying the new store evoked comments that reflected surprise.

Now: Kala Niketan saree store opens in place of Asiatic store. Pics/Ashish Raje

Former India cricketer Shobha Pandit, for example, expressed sadness. “What happened that they had to close down? Just last month I was going to the Cricket Club of India and passed this wonderful landmark we have been seeing for years now… very, very sad. It will only take us down memory lane whenever we pass that area,” wrote Pandit.

Her former India teammate Diana Edulji commented, “We’ll miss Asiatic.” Now, only the fruit vendor falls under the Asiatic signage, next door to the Air Cool hair salon. “So sad! It was a perfect shopping place for any item, you name it, and it was there! Perhaps a time may come when all these great landmarks will remain only down memory lane,” stated Pramod Kulkarni, a former athletics official.

Singapore-based sports books author Anindya Dutta’s sarcasm couldn’t be missed: “Yes, Bombay definitely needed yet another saree shop. Will miss Asiatic.”
Rajpal Singh, a former Bombay University cricketer, stated, “From a pin to an elephant, Asiatic catered to the needs of all, from every stratum of society. Will be missed terribly.”