CONTRIBUTION OF PARSIS TO POLITICS AND BUSINESS

DURING THE COLONIAL ERAAaditya Nagpal

Ashima AggarwalAkrita FotedarHarsimrat Kaur

Shivi Garg

THE SUGAR IN MILK STORY

PARSEES

MINISCULE PART OF INDIAN CULTURE

Member of one of the two Zoroastrian communities found throughout South Asia

Who emigrated to India to avoid religious persecution by the Muslims in 7th - 8th century.

WHO IS A PARSEE ?

(FARAVAHAR)

THE PARSI COMMUNITYConsists of :

•Parsees who are descended from the original Persian emigrants

•Iranis professing the Zoroastrian religion

•Children of Parsee fathers by alien mothers

PLACE OF WORSHIP

TOWER OF SILENCEMalabar Hill

Mumbai

PARSI FIRE TEMPLEFort AreaMumbai

ORIGIN•Parsees initially settled at Hormuz on the Persian Gulf

•Settled in areas around Surat

•Became Local Interpreters

•Well positioned as Interlocutors

•English Language & British Customs

•Sent their youth to apprentice under British

supervision

•Establised the First Cotton Mill in India in 1854

DEMOGRAPHIC STATISTICSPopulation of the Community

0.998%

0.002%

Population Parsis

Gender ratio among Parsis

MALE 1000FEMALE

933

LITERACY RATE

URBAN RESIDENTS

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

PARSISNATIONAL AV-ERAGE

CONTRIBUTION OF SOME PROMINENT PARSIS IN

POLITICS

DADOBHAI NAOROJI“Grand Old Man of India”

Founding father of INC Published Poverty and un-British Rule Member of Parliament in the House of

Commons in England Founded the Rahnumae Mazdayasne Sabha Published the Rast Goftar (the Truth Teller)

PHEROZSHAH MEHTA

Drafted the Bombay Municipal Act of 1872 The ‘father of Bombay Municipality’ Began an English weekly called the Bombay

Chronicle Presented with the Order of Knight

Commander of the Indian Empire (KCIE) Master’s degree from the University of

Mumbai

MADAM CAMA

Wrote, published and distributed a lot of revolutionary literature for the Indian freedom movement, which was smuggled into India through Pondicherry.

Unfurled the ‘Flag of Indian Independence’

BUSINESS AND POLITICS IN COLONIAL INDIA

A FOUR PRONGED STRATEGY•Gandhi’s return from South Africa.

•Gandhian scheme of things:1. Emphasis on gram swarajya and rural

autonomy.2. Advocacy of cottage and small scale

industries.3. Stress on abrogation of wealth.

• Reform act 1919• Indian industrial conference dissolved

in 1926.

• To remain neutral was the policy adopted.

• The servants of India Society.

In all humility I may say that I have come here also as a friend of the capitalists -- a friend of the Tatas. And here it would be ungrateful on my part, if I do not give you a

little anecdote about how my connection with the Tatas began. In South Africa when I was struggling along with the Indians in the attempt to retain our self-respect and to

vindicate our status it was Sir Ratan Tata who first came forward with assistance.' -- Extract from Mahatma Gandhi's speech delivered at Jamshedpur on August 8,

1925.

FOUR PRONGED SRATEGY

•Keep aloof agitational aspects of freedom struggle.• Support with funds• influence policy formation by the congress• Act in unison with the nationalist

THE BOMBAY PLANThe signatories of the Plan were :1. Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, 2. Ghanshyam Das Birla, 3. Ardeshir Dalal, 4. Sri Ram,5. Kasturbhai Lalbhai, 6. Ardeshir Darabshaw Shroff, 7. Sir Purshottamdas Thakurdas and 8. John Mathai.

CONTRIBUTION OF PARSIS TO THE INDIAN BUSINESS

THE HOUSES OF TATAS

Bombay House, the headquarters of the TATA Group in Bombay’s FORT Area

THE MAN WHO SAW TOMORROW

Jamshedji Nusserwanji TataFounder

TATA Group

“The wealth gathered by Jamsetji Tata and his sons in half a century of industrial pioneering formed but a minute fraction of the amount by which they enriched the nation. The whole of that wealth is held in trust for the people and used exclusively for their benefit. The cycle is thus complete. What came from the people has gone back to the people many times over”— JRD Tata

FOR THE LOVE OF INDIA

“The projects he envisioned laid the foundation for the nation’s development once it became independent”

THE BEGINNING OF STEEL INDUSTRY IN INDIA

The Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO, but now renamed, Tata Steel) was registered in Bombay on 26th August 1907.

Success came when the first blast furnace was blown-in on 2nd December 1911, and the first ingot rolled on 16th February 1912.

THE CITY WHICH THE TATAS BUILTJAMSHEDPUR

“Be sure to lay wide streets planted with shady trees, every other of a quick-growing variety. Be sure that there is plenty of space for lawns and gardens. Reserve large areas for football, hockey and parks. Earmark areas for Hindu temples, Mohammedan mosques and Christian churches”- JN TATA to his son DORAB in a letter

THE INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE, BANGALORE

“The Indian Institute of Science has produced Nobel laureates, trained many of India's greatest scientists and helped nurture some of the country's finest scientific institutions”

HYDRO ELECTRIC POWER

Tata Hydroelectric Power Supply Company was founded in 1911. Now it has been renamed to TATA Power.

PIONEERS IN AVIATION“Building a World Class Airline”

J.R.D. TATA

THE TAJ MAHAL PALACE HOTEL

THE WADIA GROUPThe Wadia Group was founded by Lovji Nusserwanjee Wadia in 1736, when he opened a Marine Construction company that built ships for the British

Quality has always been the Wadia Group’s hallmark,, the world’s second oldest existing ship in the world, still afloat at Hartlepool, UK.

Another Wadia Group built ship named the ‘Minden‘ was where the American National Anthem was composed, and on another, the 'HMS Cornwallis', that the Treaty of Nanking, ceding Honkong to England, was signed.

THE PARSI ENTREPRENEURSHIP LEGACY… AFTER 290 YEARS

NUSLI N. WADIAChairman, Wadia Group

THE GODREJ GROUP

Ardeshir GodrejFounderGodrej Group of Industries

Adi GodrejPresent ChairmanGodrej Group Of Industries

ACHIEVEMENTS• In 1897, Godrej Introduced the first lock with lever

technology in India.• In 1902, Godrej made the first Indian safe.• In 1920, Godrej made soap using vegetable oil,

which was a huge hit with the vegetarian community in India

• In 1955, Godrej produced India's first indigenous typewriter

• In 1989, Godrej became the first company to introduce PUF ( Polyurethane Foam)

• Introduced India's first and only 100% CFC, HCFC, HFC free refrigerators (Claim to be validated)

SHAPOORJI PALLONJI GROUP

Pallonji MistryGroup Patriach

SP Group

Cyrus MistryChairman

Tata Group

Shapoor MistryChairmanSP Group

Since 1865

OTHER PARSI BUSINESS PEOPLE

• Sir Jamshetjee Jeejeebhoy• Veer Khorshed Nariman• Sir Homi Mody and Piloo Mody along with

Rusi Mody• Minoo Masani and R.P. Masani• Cowasji Jehangir• Poonawalas

Mega Contribution by a Microscopic Minority

• TATA Memorial Hospital• J.J. Group of Hospitals• Wadia Hospitals for Children and Women, • Godrej Memorial Hospital• Cama & Albless Hospitals• Sir J.J. School of Arts and Architecture• Tata Institute of Fundamental Research• K.R. Cama Institute for Oriental Studies• Tata Institute of Social Sciences• Tata scholarships have helped numerous bright students realize

their academic dreams• Dorab Tata funded the entire Indian Olympics teams in the 1930s

“The Parsis can truly be regarded as the finest citizens of India”

CONCLUSION….

THANK YOU