The ‘Grand Old Man of India’, Dadabhai Naoroji’s Gujarat Connection

Long ago, even before the birth of MK Gandhi, this man; a political leader, merchant, scholar and writer rose his voice against the Britishers. Who knew that he will become an inspirational figure for our father of the nation himself! He is none other than Dadabhai Naoroji, who is also famous as the ‘Grand Old Man of India’ and ‘Unofficial Ambassador of India’. Today marks this stalwart’s 198^th birth anniversary. Let’s remember him and try to establish his Gujarat connection.

His Janmabhoomi

Dadabhai Naoroji was born into a family of Zoroastrian priests in the Parsi heartland of Navsari in Southern Gujarat. His forebears were some of the richest merchants in South Gujarat as well as renowned Zoroastrian priests, such as two mobeds who met Jehangir the Mughal emperor. The family had fallen into relative poverty by the time his grandpa was alive, and both he and his father, Naoroji Palanji Dordi, worked on a farm in Dharampur.

Naoroji Palanji and his wife, Manekbai, made the decision to travel South of Bombay, a new centre of affluence, sometime in the early 1820s, following the example of countless other poor Gujaratis. Their son, Dadabhai, was born in 1825 in Khadak (?) in Bombay. Their only child was him.

Naoroji was raised in a completely different environment from Navsari and Dharampur: the multicultural, chaotic world of a growing metropolis. He did, however, continue to have close ties with South Gujarat, where many of his relatives resided. Later in life, he visited South Gujarat to look into the problems of the local peasants and maintained close contact with the rulers of the princely states there. Even now, there is still a persistent myth that Naoroji was born in Navsari which is highly doubtful.

Editor of Parsi Newspaper

The Parsi newspaper (in Gujarati language) ‘Rast Goftar’ front page for February 1861 is attached here. Rast Goftar was a term for ‘The Truth Teller.’ In order to promote social change among Parsis in India, Dadabhai Naoroji and Kharshedji Cama started this Anglo-Gujarati daily in Bombay in 1854.

The immediate reason for the establishment of Rast Goftar was a fight between Parsis and Muslims in 1851 over the publication of a portrait of the Prophet Mohammed. According to reports, Parsis lost faith in their leaders as the riots in Bombay worsened, thus Dadabhai Naoroji founded the daily with the aim of voicing his people’s problems.

Dewan of Baroda

Apart from serving his term as a Gujarati professor at a University College, London in 1856 and touring the South Gujarat, Kathiawar and Kutch to investigate local poverty in 1871, he was chosen as the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Baroda in 1873.

Gaekwar Malhar Rao of Baroda, who was accused of poor management by the British called Dadabhai Naoroji to control the situation. He accepted the challenge, and it is well known that in the brief two years that he served as Dewan of Baroda, Dadabhai suppressed the bribery and corruption that had engulfed the state’s administration of justice. He resigned after the British Resident’s unwarranted interference and unfounded accusations against him, returned to Bombay, and then travelled to England to continue his fight for India’s independence. He was the first Indian to be elected to the British House of Commons by a razor-thin majority of 3 votes.

Machines for the Mills of Ahmedabad

After propounding the ‘Drain of Wealth’ theory, he had played major role in establishing Ahmedabad’s first textile mill. Historians have noted that he had bought machinery from London twice for Rannchodlal Chhotalal’s textile mill which was based in Ahmedabad. Rannchodlal failed in running the mill and had joined a moneylender’s firm post losing his job with the British government over the charges of corruption. He tried to set up the cotton- ginning mill again, but failed miserably.

By this time, three mills were already established in Bombay which gave hope and confidence to the merchants of Ahmedabad who now gave their backing to Rannchodlal. He floated the Ahmedabad Spinning and Weaving Company in 1858.

This was the time when Dadabhai was partnering in Cama and Company, hence Rannchodlal placed orders through him. The ship successfully landed in Cambay post which the machinery was transported to Ahmedabad in bullock carts. The first textile mill in Ahmedabad was then established in 1861.