Born and married into devout Zoroastrian families, the crowning glory of Pheroza Godrej’s creative career is A Zoroastrian Tapestry – Art, Religion and Culture, the definitive and authoritative publication to date on the Zoroastrian religion and its people.

Educated at The Cathedral & John Connon School and The Sophia College for Women, Pheroza has a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master’s degree from the University of Bombay. Twenty years ago, her desire for research – correlating history, travel, painting and lithography – saw her embark upon a career in co-writing Scenic Splendours: India through the Printed Image and in co-editing A Pageant of Prints, Under the Indian Sun and Bombay to Mumbai – Changing Perspectives.

In 1971, Pheroza established Cymroza Art Gallery, which is well-known for promoting young talent and bringing to the world stage contemporary Indian art. To quote the art-critic, Ranjit Hoskote, Cymroza has been nurturing “all that is best in contemporary Indian art across a wide spectrum of media and disciplines. In so doing, it has opened its doors, not only to those artists who practice the traditional idiom of oil painting, but also to sculptors, watercolorists, graphic artists, ceramicists, photographers and indeed, to experimenters in mixed media.” Further promoting the arts, Pheroza champions the cause of Western classical music in India as a member of the Mehli Mehta Music Foundation. An advocate of the vast and rich art history of India, Pheroza is the Honorary Secretary of the Museum Society of Bombay and member of the Regional Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.

Pheroza’s most recent creative project is into the realm of fabrics in the form of a textile furnishing boutique, India-Weaves. She exclaims, “I needed to reassure myself that I had it in me to plunge into something new, something different, and interior décor and design has always fascinated me.”

Beyond the promotion of the arts, Pheroza is an active conservationist. As President of the National Society of the Friends of the Trees, for the past five years, Pheroza has engaged the Society which promotes the preservation and propagation of trees through their Chapters all over the country; and as one of the three Vice-Presidents of the 122 year-old Bombay Natural History Society, she is in charge of fund-raising and product development. Her interaction with the corporate world enables her to proactively connect industry with environmental activism in nature protection, including scientific research and green education.

As President of the Maharashtra United Nations Association, Pheroza interacts with the judiciary and diplomats, engaging the members on human rights and other UN-related issues. Pheroza is also a Trustee of the Impact India Foundation, whose mission is to make India disability-free – particularly of polio, blindness and clefts -- using preventive methods and reaching out to people through their internationally renowned ‘Lifeline Express’.

Pheroza imbibed a love for the sea from her sailing-enthusiast husband, Jamshyd, the industrialist. They are both trustees of the Sea Cadet Council. Pheroza has two lovely children: a daughter, Raika, and a son, Navroze. She exclaims: “True, by God’s grace, I have been fortunate to be able to do things of my choice. However, I would like to believe that the legacy I inherited from my parents and that I leave behind – of what I have and whatever I will accomplish – will not only enrich the minds and hearts of my children and others, but will also inspire them to aspire for greater heights.”