The first ever Asian to be a British Member of Parliament, Dadabhai Naoroji was a pioneer in many fields. He was an intellectual and an educator; he was the first Indian to become a professor at the Elphinstone Institute, Bombay, where he taught mathematics and natural philosophy. He had a deep love for mathematics and along with his love for the subject he also harbored several other interests. He was born into a poor Parsi family and struggled a lot during his childhood as his widowed mother single-handed raised him. As a young man he traveled to London to become a partner in Cama & Co, the first Indian company to be established in Britain. However, he was fed up with the unethical practices adopted in the company and resigned. Later on he went on to establish his own cotton trading company and became actively involved in politics. He felt that the British were exploiting India and set up the Gyan Prasarak Mandali to educate the adult menfolk. He wrote many articles and gave speeches on the plight of India and played an important role in the formation of the Indian National Congress.
He presented the “Drain Theory” to the British in which he stated how the British had exploited India, systematically depleting her wealth and resources while making the country poorer. He became involved with politics and helped to establish the East India Association in 1867. This association would serve as one of the predecessor organizations of the Indian National Congress. He was patronized by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III of Baroda and started his public life as the Dewan (Minister) to the Maharaja in 1874. He also served as a member of the Legislative Council of Mumbai from 1885 to 1888. He was elected the president of the Indian National Congress in 1886. He moved to London in the late 1880s and was elected for the Liberal Party in Finsbury Central at the 1892 general election – becoming the first British Indian MP. He spent his later years writing articles and giving speeches on the exploitation of India by the British, thus setting the foundation for the Indian Nationalist Movement.
Known as the Grand Old Man of India, Dadabhai Naoroji was an intellectual, educator and political figure who worked to promote the Zoroastrian religion and the Indian culture. He spearheaded India’s freedom struggle by giving speeches and writing articles on the exploitation of India by the British.
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