Dadabhoy Naorojee, Esq. (1825-1917)
The grand old man of India
Unknown photographer
circa 1889
Photograph
9.7 x 7.7 in. (24.6 x 19.6 cm.)
Dadabhai Naoroji, known as the grand old man of India, was a Parsi intellectual, educator, cotton trader, and an early Indian political and social leader. In 1854, he also founded a Gujarati fortnightly publication, the Rast Goftar (or The Truth Teller), to clarify Zoroastrian concepts and promote Parsi social reforms.
Representative Men of India, compiled by Sorabji Jehangir
Many Indians and their lifestyle got lost in the shadows due to the prominence given to Europeans and their pursuits in India. So the chief magistrate of Baroda – Sorabji Jehangir, tried to document the many faces of India, its cultural diversity and co-existence of multiplicity of different value systems. He compiled a collection of memoirs, with portraits of Indian princes, noble statesmen, philanthropists, officials and eminent citizens for historical objectivity and knowledge.
The album physically preserves a cultural era and enables one to understand the cultural environment, the context, and the way people thought and acted in those days. It is a living artifact that promotes understanding and appreciation for the ancient culture which belonged to us. Every portrait is decorated with an ornate border to celebrate and extol.