Dadabhai Naoroji

When he was 11 years old, his mother arranged his marriage with Gulbaai, a seven year old girl. The couple went on to have three children—one son and two daughters.

This freedom fighter, social reformer and educator had a long and productive life, spanning nine long decades. He died in 1917 at the age of 91.

The Dadabhai Naoroji Road is named in his honour.

He was born in Bombay in 1825 into a poor Parsi family. The family fell upon really difficult times when his father died when Dadabhai was just four years old.

His mother Maneckbai single-handedly raised her family and did a very admirable job at it. She herself was illiterate but wanted to give her son a quality education. She played a very important role in making Dadabhai the person he grew up to be.

His marriage was arranged to Gulbaai when he was 11 years old as per the custom in India during those times.

He received his primary education from the Native Education Society School after which he went to the Elphinstone Institute where he studied literature of the world.

He was chosen for Clare’s scholarship when he was 15 years old and was considered a scholar at this young age.

When he was just 25, he became an Assistant Professor at the Elphinstone Institute.

He hailed from an Athornan (priestly family) and founded the Rahnumae Mazdayasne Sabha on 1st August 1851 in an attempt to restore the Zoroastrian religion to its past glory. This society still operates in Bombay (now Mumbai).

He founded a fortnightly publication, the ‘Rast Goftar’, meaning the ‘truth teller’ in 1853 to clarify the Zoroastrian concepts to the common man.

In 1855 he was appointed the professor of Mathematics and Philosophy at the Elphinstone Institute thus becoming the first Indian professor at the college which only had English professors so far. He also served as the Treasurer of the Student Literary and Scientific society.

He left for London in June 1855 to become a partner in Cama & Co., which was the first Indian company to be established in Britain. Though he worked diligently there, he was disillusioned by the company’s unethical practices and resigned.

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.