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Sunday, September 25, 2016

Dadabai Nauroji Indian Freedom Fighter and Economist

DADABHAI NAOROJI:
Date of birth: 4th September, 1825   date of death: 30th June, 1917
He was a Parsi intellectual and a political leader. He was a Member of Parliament of United Kingdom between 1892 and 1895 and was a first Asian became British M.P. he was educated at Elphinstone College and later became a teacher. By 1855 he was Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. He moved to England in 1855, first working in business, later became Professor of Gujarati at University College, London. In 1867, he established East India Association. In 1874, he became Prime Minister of Baroda and was also member of Legislative Council of Bombay (1885-88). Elected for House of Commons from the Liberal Party from Central Finsbury in July, 1892, as the first British Indian M.P. He refused to take oath on the Bible as he was not a Christian, but was allowed to take the oath of office in the name of God on his small book of Avestha. In his political campaign and duties as a Member of Parliament, he was assisted by Mohmad Ali Jinnah. Dadabhai Naoroji is fondly called as the "Grand Old Man of India". He is viewed as the architect who laid the foundation of the Indian freedom struggle.
Dadabhai Naoroji was instrumental in the establishment of the Indian National Congress founded by A.O. Hume in 1885. Thrice he was elected to the post of the President of the Indian National Congress, in 1886, 1893 and in 1906. During his third term, he prevented a split between moderates and extremists in the party. The Congress' demand for swaraj (self-rule) was first expressed publicly by him in his presidential address in 1906. Dadabhai Naoroji believed in non-violent and constitutional methods of protest. He died at the age of 92 on June 30, 1917.
The “Drain of wealth” theory was his and he even published a book “Poverty and Un-British rule in India”. He said that there are so many British officials working in India and they send all their money back to England. The salary of the people of the Indian Council is paid from the Indian revenue, though it is in England. After retirement of the British their pensions are given from India. There are so many British soldiers in India, but they are being paid by the Indian revenues. There are so many British companies in India and their profit was given to England.

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