Piloo Mody

Piloo Mody (14 November 1926 – 29 January 1983) was an Indian architect and politician and one of the founding members of the Swatantra Party. Elected to the 4th and 5th Lok Sabhas, he served in the Rajya Sabha from 1978 until his death.

Piloo Mody
Piloo Modi. A pencil sketch by Sarbjit Bahga.
Born(1926-11-14)14 November 1926
Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay)
Died29 January 1983(1983-01-29) (aged 56)
CitizenshipIndian
EducationM.A (Architecture)
Alma materthe Doon School
Sir J. J. College of Architecture
University of California, Berkeley
OccupationArchitect
SpouseLavina Mody
Parent
  • Sir Homy Mody (father)
RelativesKaly Mody (Brother), Russi Mody(Brother)
Loksabha Member
In office
1967–1977
ConstituencyGodhra
Rajyasabha Member
In office
1978–1983
ConstituencyGujarat
Personal details
Political partySwatantra Party
Other political
affiliations		Bharatiya Lok Dal
Janata Party

Personal life

A member of the Parsi community Piloo Mody was one of the sons of Sir Homi Mody. He was educated at The Doon School, Dehradun.[1][2] After School he attended Sir J. J. College of Architecture and the University of California, Berkeley, from where he graduated with a master's degree in architecture. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who went on to become Prime Minister of Pakistan in the 1970s, was his college roommate and the two were close friends.[3][4] He was married to an American, Lavina Colgan Mody, who was a fellow architect student at Berkeley on 3 January 1953.[5][6] He had 2 brothers, Kali Mody, a pioneer of credit card operations in India and Russi Mody, a former chairman of the Tata Iron and Steel company Limited.[7]

Work as architect

After his stint at Berkeley he returned to India. He worked for two years spent on the Chandigarh Capital Project. He also designed the Chennai headquarters of Engineering Construction Corporation, a former subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. It won the Federation Internationale de la Precontrainte prize for excellence in pre-stressed concrete from India.[4] Piloo and Vina set up an architecture firm Mody and Colgan in 1953 at Stadium House, Churchgate.Their first project was a residential apartment at Marine Lines for senior officials of TISCO. They also designed the front casing of one model of Voltas Air conditioner. Piloo's other projects include residential project Olympus, three TELCO offices, the headquarters of Bharat Bijlee, Mukand Iron and Steel, Sandoz, Voltas and Diners Club and Business Service centres.[4]

Political life
Piloo Mody College of Architecture in Cuttack

In political life Mody was an advocate of liberalism and freedom. He was associated with Swatantra Party at its founding. According to his wife Vina,

Piloo found designing pretty buildings unsatisfying with the country going to the dogs via the socialistic road.

[4]

So he became a founding member of Swatantra Party. At the 1967 general election he was elected to the 4th Lok Sabha, representing the Godhra constituency in Gujarat. In 1971 he was re-elected and served in the 5th Lok Sabha until March 1977. In 1972 he was instrumental in promoting the Architects' Act. In 1975, at the time of the Emergency in India, Mody was arrested on the orders of the Indira Gandhi government, using the controversial powers granted by the Maintenance of Internal Security Act.[8]

After an absence of a year from parliament, on 10 April 1978 Mody joined the Rajya Sabha and served there until his death in 1983.

The Piloo Mody College of Architecture, at Cuttack, Orissa, and a FIDE chess tournament are named in his honour.[9]

Works
  • Zulfi, My Friend (1973)
  • Democracy Means Bread and Freedom (1979)

References
  1. Srivastava, Sanjay (1998). Constructing Post-Colonial India: National Character and the Doon School. London: Routledge. pp. 240. ISBN 0-203-98027-1.
  2. "Seven Doscos in 15th Lok Sabha". The Indian Express. Dehradun. PTI. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  3. "The not-so-secret agents of Islamabad". Pune Mirror. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 7 July 2020. Mody and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto studied together in Mumbai's Cathedral school and Berkeley and were close friends.
  4. Marfatia, Meher (9 June 2019). "'The world revolves around an idea'". mid-day. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  5. Agarwal, Sudarshan (12 January 2006). "Humour in Parliament". The Tribune. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  6. "Members Bioprofile". Parliament of India, Lok Sabha. 14 November 1926. Retrieved 27 July 2020. MODY, SHRI PILOO, M.A., Arch. (California), (Swa.) Gujarat-Godhra—1971, Son of Shri Homi Mody; b. at Bombay, November 14, 1926; ed. at Doon School, Dehradun, Sir J.J. School of Art, Bombay and University of California, Berkeley, U.S.A.; m. Smt. Vina Colgan, January 3, 1953; Architect; Editor, "March of the Nation" (English Weekly, Bombay); President, (i) The Panchmahals Khedut Vikas Kendra, Godhra, and (ii) The Panchmahals Community Chest, Bombay; Executive Vice-President, Swatantra Party, Bombay; Vice-President, Indian Institute of Architects; Member, (i) The Board of Governors, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, (ii) Committee of the All India Board of Technical Education on Architecture and Regional Planning, and (iii) Fourth Lok Sabha, 1967-70.
  7. "Kali Homi Mody". The Times of India. 13 March 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2020. Son of the late Sir Homi and Lady Jerbai Mody, husband of the late Nina Kali Mody, father of Jimmy and the late Danny Mody, father in law of Feroza Mody, grandfather of Cyrus Mody and Karene Shaun Lawyer, brother of Russi Mody and the late Piloo Mody peacefully passed away on 11/03/2013.
  8. Modi was arrested
  9. "Chess Ratings". FIDE Ratings and Statistics. 19 October 2001. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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