- Date Of Birth: August 31, 1942
- Date Of Death: April 23, 2020
- State: New York
Born in Nagpur, India on August 31, 1942, Departed on April 23, 2020, and resided in Hartsdale, NY.
Dr. Peshotan “Pesho” Sohrab Kotval, M.B.A, M.D., Ph.D, 77, passed away on Thursday, April 23, 2020, at Westchester Medical Center-the hospital where he studied and practiced medicine. He is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Daulat (Nariman) Kotval; his son, Xerxes Kotval, his daughter and son-in-law, Anahaita Kotval and Zubeen Shroff; and his 4 grandchildren, Zal Kotval Shroff, Kaivan Kotval Shroff, Tinaz Kotval, and Mehr Kotval.
Pesho was born in Nagpur, India on August 31, 1942, to Parsi parents. His father, Justice Sohrab P. Kotval, was an advocate for the rights of the poor and an ardent supporter of Indian independence – both strong influences in Pesho’s life. Irreverence was the hallmark of his childhood which was peppered with teasing his younger sisters, Jeroo, Silloo, and Mehroo, injudicious use of slingshots and BB guns, and the general disruption of order in his family home. It was hoped that this penchant for mischief would be tempered by the rigorous training of the Zoroastrian priesthood – which quelled neither his skepticism nor his spirit.
A precocious youth, Pesho enrolled in the Nagpur College of Science at age 13, ultimately graduating from Sheffield University in England with both an M.S. and a Ph.D. in Material Sciences at 23. On a return trip to India in 1963, he met Daulat Nariman who, after an unorthodox and whirlwind courtship would become his wife of 55 years and the center of his universe.
On August 21, 1966, Pesho and Daulat moved from the United Kingdom to Kokomo, Indiana where Pesho led a materials research lab for Union Carbide and was awarded many patents. His career took them to Baltimore, Maryland, and then to Hartsdale, New York which they called home for the last 49 years. Always intellectually curious, Pesho earned an M.B.A. in his early thirties and then at age 37, realized his lifelong dream and enrolled in medical school. For most of his career in medicine, he had his own private radiology practice and was the author of many scholarly articles on vascular flow. Throughout his many careers, he taught and mentored numerous people both formally and informally.
While proud of being a US citizen, he was truly a citizen of the world. Pesho’s circle of friends extended from Indianapolis to Addis Ababa. He was a master storyteller and possessed a rare balance of erudition, playfulness, and a passionate interest in the lives of others. He was profoundly attuned to injustice and had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. There was no subject or person that escaped his interest. He felt the need to connect with every person who crossed his path – especially those who others overlooked. He felt equally compelled to challenge himself and every person who crossed his path to consider a perspective beyond their own. He cherished most of the friends and heart-felt connections he made along the way.
In his retirement, Pesho spent his hours composing words of wisdom, and showering his beloved wife, offspring, and offspring’s offspring, as he liked to call them, with boundless affection and praise. They each reel from the loss of their greatest champion.
