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(4 September 1825 – 30 June 1917)

Dadabhai Naoroji

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Dadabhai Naoroji known as the Grand Old Man of India, was a Parsi intellectual, educator, and an early Indian political and social leader. He was a Member of parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom house of Commons between 1892 and 1895, and the first Asian to be a British MP.

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Early life

Naoroji was born in Mumbai and educated at the Elphinstone Institute School. He was patronised by Maharaja of Baroda III and started his public life as the Dewan (Minister) to the Maharaja. In 1855, he was appointed Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at the Elphinstone College in Bombay,

becoming the first Indian to hold such an academic position.

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Achievement He travelled to London in 1855 to become

a partner in Cama & Co, opening a Liverpool location for the first Indian company to be established in Britain.

In England, Dadabhai Naoroji joined several learned societies, delivered many speeches and wrote articles on the plight of India. He founded the East Indian Association on December 1st, 1866. The association was comprised of high-ranking officers from India and people who had access to Members of the British Parliament.

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Drain Theory and Politics

Dadabhai Naoroji’s work focused on the drain of wealth from India into England through colonial rule. One of the reasons that the Drain theory is attributed to Naoroji is his decision to estimate the net national profit of India, and by extension, the effect that colonization has on the country.

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Views and legacy Dadabhai Naoroji is regarded as

one of the most important Indians during the independence movement. He viewed that the intervention of into India by foreigners were clearly not favorable for the country. Mahatma Gandhi wrote to Naoroji in a letter of 1894 that "The Indians look up to you as children to the father. Such is really the feeling here.“ Bal Gangadhar Tilak admired him;

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Role in the foundation of Indian National CongressNaoroji is also credited with the founding of the Indian National Congress, along with A.O Hume. His book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to the draining of India's wealth into Britian.

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Dadabhai Naoroji was elected to the British Parliament in 1892 from Central Finsbury as the Liberal party candidate. He got a resolution passed in British Parliament for holding examinations for the I.C.S. in India and England simultaneously.

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He also got the Wiley Commission, the royal commission on India expenditure, to acknowledge the need for even distribution of administrative and military expenditure between India and England.

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THANK YOU

PRESENTED BY:

SHRADHA HOUSE