Dadabhai Naoroji

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2. Dadabhai Naoroji known as the
Grand Old Man of India, was a
Parsi intellectual, educator, and an
early Indian political and social
leader. He was a Member of
parliament (MP) in the United
Kingdom house of Commons
between 1892 and 1895, and the
first Asian to be a British MP.
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4. Early life
Naoroji was born in Mumbai and
educated at the Elphinstone
Institute School. He was patronised
by Maharaja of Baroda III and
started his public life as the Dewan
(Minister) to the Maharaja. In 1855,
he was appointed Professor of
Mathematics and Natural
Philosophy at the Elphinstone
College in Bombay, becoming the
first Indian to hold such an
academic position.
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6. Achievement
He travelled to London in 1855 to become a
partner in Cama & Co, opening a Liverpool
location for the first Indian company to be
established in Britain.
In England, Dadabhai Naoroji joined
several learned societies, delivered many
speeches and wrote articles on the plight of
India. He founded the East Indian
Association on December 1st, 1866. The
association was comprised of high-ranking
officers from India and people who had
access to Members of the British
Parliament.
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7. Drain Theory and Politics
 Dadabhai Naoroji’s work focused
on the drain of wealth from India
into England through colonial
rule. One of the reasons that the
Drain theory is attributed to
Naoroji is his decision to estimate
the net national profit of India,
and by extension, the effect that
colonization has on the country.
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8. Views and legacy
Dadabhai Naoroji is regarded as one of
the most important Indians during the
independence movement. He viewed
that the intervention of into India by
foreigners were clearly not favorable for
the country. Mahatma Gandhi wrote to
Naoroji in a letter of 1894 that "The
Indians look up to you as children to
the father. Such is really the feeling
here.“
Bal Gangadhar Tilak admired him; 8

9. Role in the foundation of Indian National
Congress
Naoroji is also credited with the founding
of the Indian National Congress, along
with A.O Hume. His book Poverty and
Un-British Rule in India brought attention
to the draining of India's wealth into
Britian.
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10. Dadabhai Naoroji was elected
to the British Parliament in
1892 from Central Finsbury as
the Liberal party candidate. He
got a resolution passed in
British Parliament for holding
examinations for the I.C.S. in
India and England
simultaneously.
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11. He also got the Wiley
Commission, the royal
commission on India
expenditure, to
acknowledge the need for
even distribution of
administrative and military
expenditure between India
and England.
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14. THANK YOU
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