In "The progressive patriot” (Editorial Viewpoint, Parsiana, June 21, 2017) there is reference to Muhammad Ali Jinnah assisting Dadabhai Naoroji in his political campaigns and duties in Parliament. There’s actually no concrete evidence for that. These might have been claims that Jinnah or his supporters floated. Many individuals served in secretarial capacities for Naoroji over his career but I found exactly one reference to Jinnah amongst all of his correspondence and even this did not corroborate the claim.
Dr DINYAR PATEL
dinyar.patel@gmail.com
The editors reply
Parsiana regrets the error.
To commemorate the death centenary of Dadabhai Naoroji who passed away on June 30, 1917, the Government of India should issue a postal stamp or a high denomination coin.
Naoroji was one of the moving spirits and founder of the Indian National Congress (INC). He had attempted to keep the freedom movement on a moderate path during the formative years of the Congress believing that if the British were informed of India’s problems, they would reform their method of rule. However, years of dealing with British officialdom led to increasing disillusionment. When demanding self-government for India he said, "Indians were British citizens with a birthright to be free…In self-government is our hope, strength and greatness.”
As Mahatma Gandhi had written, "The story of a life so noble and yet so simple needs no introduction from me or anybody else. May it be an inspiration to the readers even as Dadabhai living was to me…And so Dadabhai became real Dada to me.”
Naoroji had once asked "Is it vanity that I should take great pleasure in being hailed as the Grand Old Man of India? No, that title, which speaks volumes for the warm, grateful and generous hearts of my countrymen, is to me, whether I deserve it or not, the highest reward of my life.”
At the memorial meeting Sir Narayan Chandavarkar, former president of the INC and Hindu reformer, had commented, "In his career, all he did, in all he suffered and in all he taught, he was the Prophet Zoroaster’s religion personified because he was the man more than anybody else, of pure thought, of pure speech and pure deeds.” Likewise, Sir Dinshaw Wacha noted in his tribute, "There is no doubt… Dadabhai served his country with a sacrifice and singleness of purpose which it may be rightly said, without exaggeration, was rare.”
KEKI BYRAM COOPER
depot@amfilogistics.com