About

Atul Kumar

Founder Trustee

Atul has worked actively on civic issues, particularly the protection of open spaces, heritage conservation of south Mumbai’s Art Deco precinct, and its nomination to UNESCO as a World Heritage site. He is passionate about conservation and good governance. He is on the Board of Directors of the International Coalition of Art Deco Societies (ICADS) and Chairs their Preservation Committee. He has lectured and presented at the World Congress on Art Deco in Miami 2023 and in Paris 2025 and at several other local and international bodies. He has been published in Hindustan Times, Mid-Day, Mumbai Mirror.

Shirin Bharucha

Trustee

Shirin retired as Legal Advisor to TATA companies in 2001. She is a Trustee on several Trusts spanning arts, culture, music, education, preservation of open spaces and social welfare including the CSMVS (Prince of Wales Museum), National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), UDRI, OVAL Trust, Art Deco Mumbai Trust and others.

Prof. Mustansir Dalvi PhD

Trustee

Mustansir teaches architecture in Mumbai and is a former professor of architecture at the University of Mumbai. He received his PhD. from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay for his doctoral research: Buildings as Text: Developing a Semiotic of Bombay’s Art Deco Architecture (1930-1949). He is the author of Citizen Charles: a biography of Charles Correa (Niyogi Books), The Romance of Red Stone: An Appreciation of Ornament on Islamic Architecture in India (Super Book House) and The Past as Present: pedagogical practices in architecture at the Bombay School of Art (Sir JJ/UDRI). He is the editor of 20th Century Compulsions (Marg), a collection of writings about early Indian modernist architecture.

Sujata P Kumar

Trustee

Sujata is a successful businesswoman, Director on several public companies and committed to social causes particularly in healthcare and education. She is a Trustee of Kasturba Health Society, Wardha and Parekh Foundation

Renu Basu

Trustee

A veteran Sales and Marketing Professional with over 30 years of experience in Customer Management, Sales, and Marketing. Former Sr. Vice President Global Sales & Marketing at Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), part of the executive management committee. Years of working directly with customers, industry forums, travel industry including captains of industry, has resulted in deep customer relationships at multiple levels across corporates, large industrial houses, and tourism. In the past, represented the organization at National and International forums including CII, Bombay Chamber of Commerce, and PATA India Chapter. Renu enjoys a strong reputation for being a people’s person, of trust, and an authentic leader.

Dr. Jehangir Sorabjee

Trustee

Dr. Jehangir Sorabjee is currently a Honorary Prof. of Medicine and heads the Department of Medicine at the Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences. A keen photographer, his book of aerial pictures of Mumbai – “Above Bombay” (2006) has been widely acclaimed and photographs from this series have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale, The Tate Modern, and the Canary Islands Biennale. He has a keen interest in the history of Colonial Bombay often speaks on this and related topics.

Vikas Dilawari

Member, Advisory Board

Vikas Dilawari is a practising conservation architect with over three decades of experience. If there is a historic landmark in Mumbai, you can be sure Vikas had a role to play in it. He was Head of the Department of Conservation at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture (KRVIA), Mumbai, from its inception in 2007 till August 2014. His practice has successfully executed over 50 projects. Eighteen projects have won the UNESCO ASIA PACIFIC Awards for Cultural Preservation in South East Asia. He was also instrumental, along with INTACH Mumbai Chapter, to nominate the erstwhile Victoria Terminus station as a World Heritage Site (WHS) in 2004.

Rahul Mehrotra

Member, Advisory Board

Rahul is an architect, urbanist and educator. He is the Founder Principal of RMA Architects & Professor of Urban Design and Planning, and the John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization, at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. He is a Trustee of the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI). He has taught at the University of Michigan and the School of Architecture and Urban Planning at MIT. He has written and lectured extensively on architecture, conservation and urban planning in Mumbai and India. His writings include co-authoring Bombay Deco and Bombay – The Cities Within.

Theertha Gangadharan

Head, Research & Archives

Theertha is a researcher with a background in History. She has a keen interest in Modern Indian history and Mumbai’s urban history. Her main interest lies in researching and recording the links between the city’s tangible and intangible heritage, and improving information accessibility in the digital age. A self-proclaimed flâneuse, she also enjoys all things vintage and pop from the 1990s and 2000s.

Varada Phadkay

Head - Conservation

Varada oversees the conservation practice. She is an architect with postgraduate qualifications in History and Indian Aesthetics. Her experience includes diverse heritage conservation projects across Mumbai, Pune, and Goa. She is also a Visiting Faculty for M.Arch-Metropolitan Architecture at the Sir J.J. School of Art, Architecture and Design and for B.Arch at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture. Her interests lie in analysing urban histories and advocating for heritage conservation. She finds joy in gardening, travelling and occasionally indulging in K-pop

Vandita Shukla

Senior Associate - Communications & Design

Vandita is a communication designer focused on visual storytelling and design-led communication. At Art Deco Mumbai Trust, she works across design and communications, translating technical and research-led material into engaging narratives. Having grown up in Mumbai, her interest in the city is shaped by its layered cultural history. Outside work, she enjoys graphic novels, music, exploring new food spots, and spending time with her dogs.

Joshua Fernandes

Senior Associate - Documentation

Joshua is an architect with immense interest in Architectural History and Urban Planning. Paired with a keen eye for detail and his trusty bucket hat, he manages the Trust’s Documentation initiative. Outside the office, he finds himself creating art of all forms; paintings, sketches and mini movies he hopes will one day be full-length features.