Inside Wagh Sculptors, the 125-year-old Mumbai studio that shaped history

The busts of national icons such as (from left) Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, Subhash Chandra Bose, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, and Lokmanya Tilak at the studio workshop

The gentle smile of JRD Tata greets us as we enter the studio facing a simmering Chowpatty on a summer afternoon. "Time is precious. We are in the middle of a sculpting project," admits Vinay Wagh, the current head sculptor and third-generation owner, who guides us through the 125-year-old Wagh Sculptors on Charni Road West.

The first of a generation

His grandfather, Vinayakrao Venkatrao Wagh arrived in colonial Bombay at the turn of the 20th Century. "Our roots are from Karwar. He was always gifted and showed early talent. The family legend goes that my grandfather first created a statue of a leader of our community in the village, and it was so lifelike that people were stunned," shares Vinay, an alumni of Sir JJ School of Art.

A bust of the founder, VV Wagh. Pics/Ashish Raje

It was at the same institution that VV Wagh studied under the master portraitist, António Xavier Trindade. It was a period when the sculptor's circle included names such as SH Haldankar, and Pestonjee Bomanjee of the Bombay School of Art.

"His first major success came in 1913, when he wrote to Lord Hardinge, then Viceroy and Governor General of India, seeking permission to sculpt him. The work earned him Rs 2000, and a reputation that brought the Lord and Lady Willingdon to the Bombay studio," shares Vinay Wagh.

Vinay Wagh

In 1915, an invitation to Santiniketan arrived from Rabindranath Tagore. A copy of his sculpted bust occupies a pride of place in the studio's workshop, alongside names such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Motilal Nehru. The 64-year-old Vinay admits to the bust being one of his favourites, alongside the works of Lokmanya Tilak and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Changing times

By 1917, the studio drew national leaders, such as Tilak, often during their speeches at Chowpatty. One such visitor was a barrister named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who stopped by after arriving in the city post his exploits in South Africa. "Imagine the names that have walked into the very room you stand in, and sat where you are," he points out.

A copy of the bust of Rabindranath Tagore (right) sculpted by VV Wagh at Santiniketan

It was not just leaders though. A bust of the first cricket captain of India, CK Nayudu, sculpted by his father, Brahmesh Wagh, is testament. On another shelf, another bust of former president S Radhakrishnan stares back without his signature turban - ‘Made for his personal collection,' we learn.

Traditional aesthetic

Nelson Mandela

The material, clientele, and the city have changed. The discipline has not. Sixty-four-year-old Vinay says, "We still take about six to nine months to complete a project. It takes more than just photographs. I study the person in detail before starting to sketch." He points to his recent creation, a bust of the late Ratan Tata, remarking on the exact number of crows' feet under each eye.

A bust of Mahatma Gandhi

Chetan, Vinay's son, is the most recent generation lending a hand. With Chetan's mother, and uncle Rajadhiraj also pitching in, it remains a family mission. "The studio is not just the statues, but history. We need to take it forward," he concludes.

VV Wagh with the bust of King George V. Pic Courtesy/Wagh Sculptors

At Wagh Sculptors, Beach View, Ground Floor, Chowpatty, Girgaon.
Call 9967954122 (visit by appointment only)

Wagh's wonders across Mumbai

1 Dr BR Ambedkar at Cooperage Ground
2 Dr BR Ambedkar at Chaitya Bhoomi, Dadar
3 Mahatma Jyotiba Phule at the Mahatma Phule Technical School, Bhoiwada, Parel
4 Mahatma Gandhi at Mani Bhavan
5 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Mumbai Police Commissioner's Headquarters
6 Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak at Balmohan Vidyamandir, Shivaji Park
7 Sir M Visvesvarayya at World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade
8 JRD Tata at Air India Headquarters, Nariman Point
9 Lord Baden-Powell at Shivaji Park
10 Hutatma Babu Genu at Elphinstone Road
11 Replica of the Ashok Stambha at Kamala Nehru Park, Malabar Hill

Rs 2000
Is the remuneration Lord Hardinge gave VV Wagh in 1913