The item "Naoroji misrepresented” (Events and Personalities, Parsiana, July 21-August 6, 2024), highlights the very important role played by Nanabhai Ranina in the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862. Ranina, as co-defendant, stood by his friend Karsandas Mulji, and refused to succumb to the numerous endeavors of the applicant to persuade him to abandon Mulji’s cause, which would have considerably weakened the reformer’s defense. It is a great pity that the film Maharaj omitted his role in the narrative.
Ranina was truly a remarkable person — litterateur, journalist, playwright, actor, teacher, publisher and social reformer. He used his pen and publishing house to carry forward the reform agenda of the 19th century which has shaped the thinking of today’s Indian to a considerable degree.
Ranina was a familiar "household presence” while I was still a schoolgirl. His dictionary had pride of place in our living room book cupboard. It was the Anglo-Gujarati Dictionary that he had taken a lifetime to prepare, and which I used to look up the meanings of English words.
The Gujarati and English Pocket Dictionary by Karsandas Mulji,
printed by N. R. Ranina of Union Press
Born in 1832, his family was known as Ranina, descendants of his grandmother Ranibai — a lady of proven virtue. Nanabhai was orphaned at an early age, and though highly intelligent, had not the means to pursue higher education. But being an avid reader, he continued to educate himself with admirable determination and perseverance.
In his biographical sketch of Nanabhai, one N. R. Ranina touches upon a moving episode in the young man’s life. Once, while walking in the vicinity of Dhobi Talao, Nanabhai came upon a roadside vendor selling old books. His eyes fell upon Molesworth’s Anglo-Marathi Dictionary which was being sold for three rupees (USD 0.03), a princely sum for an impoverished youth. But Nanabhai was determined to have it and persuaded his uncle to part with the money on the grounds that he desperately needed a new duglo (coat) to keep out the cold as his was worn threadbare!
Molesworth’s dictionary was an inspiration for him. He wondered why no such dictionary was available for Gujarati and was fired by the desire to prepare the first Anglo-Gujarati dictionary. It took him several years to do and he died in 1900 before this task was accomplished. Fortunately, his son took up the almost-finished project and published the dictionary in its entirety in 1908. Nanabhai was greatly helped in this endeavor by Ardeshir Moos. In a rented room in Colaba, the two friends toiled day and night to prepare the lexicon. Heeding the advice of his numerous well-wishers, Nanabhai published a Concise Anglo-Gujarati Dictionary first. The legendary poet, Narmadashankar Dave, who was also a friend of Nanabhai’s, mentions in his autobiography, Mari Hakikat (My story), that from the beginning of 1862 till June of that year he spent all his waking hours helping his friends Nanabhai and Ardeshir to compile the Concise Dictionary.
Nanabhai was befriended by Nowroji Framji who owned a printing press. Framji employed him as the editor of Satya Deepak for two rupees (USD 0.022) per month. When Framji’s press closed down Nanabhai took charge of it and renamed it the Union Press in 1857. Many of the fiery writings of the social reformers of that period were published in Satya Deepak. Nanabhai was closely associated with the first Parsi Natak Mandali and acted in the first Parsi natak, Rustam-Sohrab, in 1853, at the Grant Road Theatre. He translated Shakespeare’s Othello and The Comedy of Errors into Gujarati and wrote numerous plays touching upon Parsi society.
Every time I pass the Union Press, I try to conjure up those heady days of the 19th century when the air was filled with discussions and debates, received wisdom was often questioned and discarded, and exciting new ideas filled the air. To quote from William Wordsworth’s poem, The Prelude, "Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive/But to be young was very heaven.” ABAN MUKHERJI
mukherji.aban@gmail.com