Jini Dinshaw

Jini Dinshaw (9 August 1930 – 23 October 2025) was an Indian violinist, music pedagogue, and the founder of the Bombay Chamber Orchestra (BCO), India's oldest active indigenous Western classical orchestra. For over sixty years, she contributed to the training, performance, and promotion of Western classical music in Mumbai.

Early life and education Born on 9 August 1930 as the youngest of eight children in a Parsi family, Dinshaw was the daughter of businessman Dinshaw Dhunjibhoy Mistry. Although her father initially wanted her to become a doctor, leading her to briefly join science studies at St. Xavier's College, she was determined to pursue music. In 1947, at age 17, she moved to London to study the violin under Gladys Noon.

During her 13 years in England, she earned diplomas from both the Royal School of Music and the Royal College of Music. To support herself while studying, she performed household chores for her teacher for pocket money. She returned to Bombay in 1960 at the request of her ailing mother.

Career Upon her return to India, Dinshaw observed a vacuum in the city's musical life following the closure of the Bombay Symphony Orchestra and the Bombay Philharmonia. In 1962, she established the Bombay Chamber Orchestra (BCO) to provide a platform for young Indian musicians to learn orchestral repertoire beyond basic examination pieces.

Personal life and death Dinshaw remained unmarried throughout her life, often remarking that she was "married to her music". She died at her home in Mumbai on 23 October 2025 at the age of 95, just four days after the death of her 100-year-old sister, Aloo.