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.