Dadabhai Naoroji

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The Inspirational Story of "Dadabhai Naoroji"

Dadabhai Naoroji, also known as the “Unofficial Ambassador of India” and the “Grand Old Man of India,” was an Indian politician, merchant, scholar, and writer. Between 1892 and 1895, he was the first Asian to be elected to the United Kingdom House of Commons as a member of the Liberal Party.

Birth: Naoroji was born in Navsari, Gujarat, on September 4, 1825, into a Gujarati-speaking Parsi Zoroastrian family.

Childhood: Elphinstone Institute School was where he received his education. Sayajirao Gaekwad III, Maharaja of Baroda, was his patron.

Adult Life: Naoroji founded the Rahnumai Mazdayasan Sabha (Guides on the Mazdayasne Path) on August 1, 1851, as an Athornan to restore the Zoroastrian religion to its original purity and simplicity. He also founded the Rast Goftar (or The Truth Teller), a Gujarati fortnightly publication, in 1854 to clarify Zoroastrian concepts and promote Parsi social reforms.

Drain Theory & Poverty: The work of Dadabhai Naoroji focused on the transfer of wealth from India to Britain during the British rule in India. One of the reasons Naoroji is credited with the Drain theory is his decision to calculate India’s net national profit, and thus the impact of colonial rule on the country. Naoroji used economics to demonstrate that the United Kingdom was draining money from India.

Commemoration: Outside the Finsbury Town Hall on Rosebery Avenue in London, there is a plaque commemorating Dadabhai Naoroji.

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