About Keki Moos

The renowned R. C. contractor of Mumbai (Bombay) who had built Victoria Terminal (Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal – Central Railway station) married his sister Piroja with Manekji Framji Moos who belonged to a middle class Parisian family. Mrs. Piroja Moos gave birth to a male child on 2^ndOct. 1912 at Mumbai. He was named‘Kaikhusru’ (name of Parisian goddess). His mother lovingly called him ‘keki’ by his pet name.


In 1920 keki’s family came to Chalisgaon (a small village of Jalgaon district in Maharashtra state) and started a soda bottle factory & wine shop.


Little Keki didn’t like Chalisgaon so his father sent him back to Mumbai.


The Handsome, Curly-haired, an extremely quiet & peaceful Keki after his primary education, he has done his graduation in the 1^stclass from Wilson collage, Mumbai.


Keki wasn’t at all interested in his uncle’s construction business. He wantedto become an artist. But his father called him back to Chalisgaon once again. As he had a property & liquor shop at Chalisgaon & there was no one to look after it. His father expired in between 1934-35, his mama (mother) had appoint a man to look after the shop and granted a permission to Keki to do his further education.


Maharashtra state board for literature & culture, Mumbai published (1983) a book on Keki & his photography ‘KEKI MOOS – LIFE AND STILL LIFE’.


India’s well known personalities like – Late. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (Primeminister of India), Baba Amte(social worker & follower of Vinoba Bhave, Late.Jaiprakesh Narayan, Shankar Rao Dev. Late. Sane Guruji (Pandurang Sadashiv Sane). Pt. Mahadev shastri Joshi. Maharshi Anna Saheb Karve, Narayan Hari Aapte (writter) Prof. N. S. Phadke, shri M. Mate, Acharya Atre, Vasant Shantaram Desai etc. visited Keki’s museum.


Keki was too much influenced by Rembradt V. He translated his story of life & art in Marathi & Gujarati. He changed the name of his Bungalow as ‘Rembradt Retreat’ in place of ‘Ashirwad’.


He was interested in music. He had collected many types of cassettes & gramophone records.


He was an excellent sitar player. He had his teaching from Ustad Din Mohommed Khan, Pandit Feroz, Farronji, prof. Nasir Khan, Shri Haribhau Varangaonkar.


He was also fond of collecting books & made library of own. He had collected near about 4000 books. He had a good collection of books of poems of various poets. Keki loved poetry. He was a fan of Urdu poem. He had written ‘when I shed my tears’, which was unpublished autobiography.


He had collected art pieces of other artists, woodcarvings, statues & antiques, bone china utensils, rare old crockery, toys, old furniture, coins.


This sun of art & photography had set on 31^stDec. 1989 at near about 11.00 am in his house.