Dismissed as unfit for Parliament, Dadabhai Naoroji’s portrait now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery
The well known weekly Eastern Eye on Monday 24th August 2026 published an excellent article by veteran journalist Amit Roy titled; “Dismissed as unfit for Parliament, Dadabhai Naoroji’s portrait now hangs in the National Portrait Gallery”.
We share the Eastern Eye online link;
Dismissed as unfit for Parliament, Dadabhai Naoroji’s portrait now hangs…
ZTFE is delighted that the restored portrait of our founder Trustee in 1861 and our longest serving President Dadabhai Naoroji, painted in 1946 by the well known Parsi portrait painter Sorab Manchershaw Fakirjee Pithawalla who sadly passed away before he was 50 years old, will be exhibited at the world famous National Portrait Galley, London.
This is wonderful news especially during Dadabhai Naoroji’s Bicentennial Birth Anniversary.
ZTFE is in gratitude to our Life Member Yadgar Marker and his family for loaning the restored portrait of Dadabhai Naoroji for 3 years to the National Portrait Gallery and for them displaying the portrait in room 23 on the second floor, from next Wednesday 2nd September 2026.
Yadgar informed ZTFE, that the curators at National Portrait Gallery had been aware of Dadabhai Naoroji’s contribution to the freedom movement not only in India but also being an inspiration for movements in several countries of the world. They have been ecstatic in acquiring this portrait as up to now they only had a small sketch in ink.
ZTFE is also in gratitude to:
Benjamin Singer & Ursula Griffiths for having done a fine job in restoring the portrait.
The Courtauld Institute of Art, London.
Amit Roy for his excellent article published in Eastern Eye.
Previously, this portrait displayed for decades at the entrance of the well known India Club in the Strand, which was managed by Yadgar and his family for 26 years on a long lease, but the place was forced to close in 2023 after he was effectively ejected by the freeholders.
Every cloud has a silver lining! Dismissed as unfit for UK Parliament, Dadabhai Naoroji’s portrait painted by the well known Parsi portrait painter Sorab M F Pithawalla in 1946 will in 2026 hang in the world famous National Portrait Gallery. As Yadgar conveyed to the ZTFE; “What better way to show to the world the achievements of such a great Zoroastrian in such a fine institute!”
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Link for Amit Roy’s online report in Eastern Eye
https://www.easterneye.biz/
Yours sincerely
Malcolm M Deboo
ZTFE President