Mohan Hirdwani is a retired banker now in his mid 70's who from the period of 1965 to 1987 made 50 architectural models from waste materials. The majority of these intricate and labor-intensive works are creations of his own imagination made in his spare time. Many of these models have moving parts and are able to be lit up. He was interested in ideas of recycling and energy efficiency from the onset, and designed a movie theatre with natural lighting and temperature control by means of a diagonally opening roof. Until recently he was displaying these models in his small home on an elaborate merry-go-round display stand. They are now kept in storage, awaiting what is his longstanding wish to see them housed collectively in a place where children will have access to his wonderfully creative and resourceful works. 

He now works with a charitable trust helping people in need of eye surgery and dialysis. We are very pleased to be able to present a selection of his works alongside a brief interview.

Collective Wealth:  Mr Hirdwani, you made 50 beautiful, intricate architectural models of buildings in Mumbai in the period of 1965-1987. You made these outside of your daily work, as a hobby. How did you come to start making architectural models specifically?

Mohan Hirdwani: In 1964 the then Pope paid a visit to Mumbai on the occasion of the xxxviii Eucharistic congress held in Mumbai. An aerial picture of the podium erected for his address to the public appeared in a weekly, and it caught my fancy and just about then my brother had started bringing waste from a vacuum forming machine and I assembled my first model from this. I made Gymkhana my second model which does have some resemblance to a similar building but the internal arrangements are all mine. I used to work in shifts and made these models while also attending to my daily work.

CW:  Are the models on your website (currently unavailable) based on buildings in your town? How do you select which buildings to make models of? Does it depend on your interest in the particular architectural design or more on the materials at hand?

MH: All my models have been my own creations, with the main aim of using available materials. They are not replicas of buildings in my town.

CW:  How long approximately did it take to build any single model?

MH: It took between 4-6 months to make each model and nearly twenty years to make all 50 models. Every time a joint was made the solution took 24 hours to dry.

CW:  The fact that these models are made predominantly from waste materials seems important to you. Can you speak a little about this?

MH: Plastics have a long life and are a big ecological hazard, keeping this in mind I tried to do my little bit to save the earth. My friend who had a general store used to get a lot of display stands, for displaying beauty products. After I would collect them from him and use them at a later date. Although my mother would complain against this junk being brought into the house! 

CW: Who has had the opportunity to see these models? Have you ever shown them in a public place?

MH: Visitors to my home, plus an association of officers in the bank where I worked had organised a seminar and my work was displayed at the venue.

CW:   What has been occupying your time since your retirement?

MH: We had no biological child in the family so we four members of the Hirdwani family had the idea to create a family trust to continue the name of the family and I have attached myself to another trust running a charitable hospital that provides help and succor  to the poor and needy, and it also keeps me occupied. My trust mainly provides help to people in need of eye surgery or dialysis treatment. Presently all my models are kept in the basement of the hospital, whenever there is a function the guests get to view them.

Know Thy Self Temple. "This model is very unusual in the sense that it does not have any deity installed in it. This model is built on the idea of a temple built by one Narayanswamy who all his life had opposed rituals in the temple, so when he started building a temple himself, everyone waited anxiously to see what he would do. He simply installed a mirror and wrote on top of it KNOW THY SELF. The idea is to see your own image and try to understand yourself.

Apart from the pillars from ballpoint pens and walls from packing materials the roof is made from cosmetic display tray and the dome is made from bangles which have been placed one on top of the other and the smaller ones providing the slope and tapering. The four minarets are small plastic bowls".

Mohan Hirdwani, Mumbai, India 2009.

Mr Hirdwani is looking for a publicly accessible home for his significant collection. If anyone can offer any assistance with regard to this please contact Collective Wealth on cfcw@collectivewealth.org and we will put you in touch with Mr Hirdwani.