Pilloo Pochkhanawala Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth and Family

Pochkhanawala is best remembered for her public sculptures, the most famous of which was called Spark and stood over two storeys tall at the old Haji Ali Circle in Mumbai. Originally commissioned by Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST), it was made in her distinct style by welding scrap metal together. It is assumed to have gotten its name from the BEST’s connection to electricity and the sculpture’s contrast of heavy material and light, bird-like features. The location was important to her as she lived in the area. However, the sculpture had a troubled history, being moved to a smaller circle during her lifetime. It eventually disappeared in a road expansion project in early 1990s. In 2002, a scale model, at one-third the height of the original, was installed through a citizen’s initiative, on a traffic island outside the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai. In late 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, the replica was lost in a beautification drive.

In addition to being an artist, Pochkhanawala was also a facilitator and mediator of the arts in Bombay. From the 1960s, she organized the Bombay Art Festival for many years. Along with her fellow artists, she also played a major role in transforming the Sir Cowasji Jehangir Hall into the National Gallery of Modern Art, Mumbai, which is now one of the country’s leading museums housing contemporary art.

Pochkhanawala had solo exhibitions from 1955 to 1978 in Bombay, and in Delhi in 1965, 1968 and 1982. She also showed work internationally in exhibitions at Minnesota, USA (1980); Middleheim, Belgium (1974); Belgrade; Bangkok; Tokyo (1967) and in London (1963).

In 1950–1951, Pochkhanawala made her first visit to Europe. She was on an assignment to create posters and advertisement displays for the national airline, Air India. Meanwhile, she discovered iconic works by artists like Constantin Brâncuși, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Alexander Calder, among many other contemporary sculptors. This rekindled and in fact, sparked her desire to pursue visuals arts and motivated her to turn into a sculptor. She decided to devote herself entirely to sculpture after returning to Bombay. Pochkhanawala was mentored by N. G. Pansare, who taught her the techniques of sculpting and encouraged her to develop her own style by experimenting with materials.

Instead of following the rigid customs of the family, Pochkhanawala was exposed to diverse perspectives in the company of her peers, both in secondary school and college. The struggle for Indian independence was at its peak during her youth. She became a part of cultural and political changes that were happening with the rise of Quit India Movement whilst World War II. In 1945, she received her bachelor’s degree in commerce from Bombay University and went on to work in an advertising firm. She had married Rattan Pochkhanawala and had one child, Meher. Her husband belonged to the family of Sir Sorabji Pochkhanawala, one of the founders of the Central Bank of India.

Pilloo Pochkhanawala (1 April 1923 – 7 June 1986) was among the first few women sculptors in India. Initially, she worked in advertising before going on to become a sculptor. Through her dynamic works, Pochkhanawala established herself as a pioneer of modern sculpture among her contemporaries. Her pieces were inspired by nature or often took the form of human figures. As a self-taught artist, she employed a variety of media in her artworks including metal, stone and wood among others. Her oeuvre includes intricate drawings, theatrical sets, although she is well known for her large scale public sculptures.

Born on 1 April 1923, Pilloo was the daughter of Framroze R. Adenwalla and Jerbai. They were a Parsi family who followed the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. She was brought up in the household of her paternal grandparents in a traditional joint family consisting of three children and eleven grandchildren. Members of her family were the owners of Cowasjee Dinshaw and Brothers. With the head office of their firm in Bombay, their business also extended to Arabia, Africa and Aden. Pochkhanawala visited these places during her childhood, out of which Zanzibar impressed her the most, especially because of its African Voodoo cult rites.