The first thing people say when speaking of PARSIS before we go How “PARSIS of India contributed to India”, is “How tiny the community is”.
In the whole Indian subcontinent, there are about 70,000 Parsis alive the day I am writing this article.
Click Here for the full article
#SoftCover Speaking on his new book “Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism” at ThePrint’s new collaboration with Harper Collins called ‘SoftCover’ and online launch, historian Dinyar Patel talks about the man who inspired Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru – Dadabhai Naoroji. Patel points out in this eminently readable biography that Naoroji is far more important to the idea of India than a man who first thought up the “drain of wealth” theory — how the British were sucking millions of pounds out of India every year — or the fact that he was the first Indian to be elected to the British Parliament, that he was the co-founder of the Indian National Congress along with Surendra Nath Bonnerjea and Allan Octavian Hume and that it was he who first thought up the idea of ‘Swaraj’. Watch :
Sir Jivanji Jamshedji Modi’s Speech at the Parliament of World Religions.1893 at Chicago
The glory of the Parliament of World Religions was most obvious in the opening ceremony, on Sept. 11, 1893. More than 4000 people had gathered in the Hall of Columbus, when at 10oclock a dozen representatives from different faiths marched into the hall hand in hand. At the same time, the Columbian Liberty bell, in the Court of Honour tolled ten times, honouring the ten great world religions—Confucianism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Taoism, Shintoism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Among the speakers Swami Vivekananda’s three speeches drew the most attention.
The aim of the conference was to bring together in conference, for the first time in history, the leading representatives of the great historic religions of the world and to set forth, by those most competent to speak, what are deemed the important distinctive truths held and taught by each Religion.
Ervad Sheriarji Dadabhai Bharucha was requested by Dadabhai Navroji to prepare a paper on the Zoroastrian Religion to present at the Parliament. In the published report of the Parliament of Religions 1893 (Vol 1, p. 58) the President writes “Hon. Dadabhoy Navrojee, M.P., of London, Jivanji Jamshedji Modi, Dastur Dr. Jamaspi Minocher Jamasp Asa, M.A. Ph.D., and Ervad Sheriarji Dadabhai Bharucha, took active interest in the Parliament and enlisted the cooperation of the Parsis of India “However, Ervad Sheriarji Bharucha was unable to attend the Parliament.
Sir Jivanji Jamhedji Modi addressed this historic Parliament of World Religions in 1893.
He gives a detailed account of the religion, manners and customs of the Parsis. On the lighter side, he mentions, that the qualifications for a good husband are that he should be young, handsome, strong, brave, healthy, diligent, industrious, truthful, wise and educated. A good wife must be wise, educated, modest, courteous, obedient and chaste”. “According to the sad-dar, a wife who gives herself to her husband three times a day-in the morning, afternoon and evening performs as meritorious an act as that of saying her prayers three times a day”.
He explains, “Zoroastrianism or Parsism, by whatever name the system may be called is a monotheistic form of Religion. It believes in the existence of one God Ahura Mazda”. We might hardly conceive what human belief would be now had Zoroaster never existed.
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Some interesting snippets:
Thanks Mahtab for the link – You can watch the full documentary by Parzor Foundation here: : https://youtu.be/fmV0AlnVw34
Click Here for an interesting film on the life and times of Nani Palkhivala
Dear all:
is being released by Harvard University Press today, 12 May, in the United States and will be released in India and the UK on 31 May (in India it will be released by HarperCollins).—
Dadabhai Naoroji, a pioneer of many fields, was popularly known as ‘The Grand Old Man of India’. He was also an intellectual and an educator.
He became the first Asian man to be elected in British Parliament in 1892.
Moreover, he was the first Indian to become a professor at the Elphinstone Institute, Bombay (now Mumbai), where he taught mathematics and natural philosophy. He taught in the special classes which were held to encourage education for women.
Dadabhai Naoroji was a great public figure during 1845-1917. He was associated with the innumerable societies and organisations through which he voiced grievances of the Indian people and proclaimed their aims, ideals, and aspirations to the world at large.
See Also – https://www.ourmigrationstory.org.uk/oms/dadabhai-naoroji-mp-for-central-finsbury-1892-1895
The incredible story of the founder of Central Bank who with his idealism, hardwork and capability brought an iconic institution to reality. Comments by Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, Senior Banker, Author and Public speaker
A Parsi lad 30 years young started his own bank, he registered it on
21,December 1911,with a Paid Up Capital of just 20 Lakhs
He had started his Bankers Career as an Accountant with Bank of India
Though the Bank of India was Indian sponsored, Top managerial positions were all held by Europeans.
At Bank of India, Mr. HP Stringfellow, Was the European Boss of the Parsi Bawa. He drew a salary of Rs. 5000/- a month while Parsi bawa was paid Rs. 200 a month.
Not only were there huge pay disparities and humiliations, Europeans dominated banks were partial when it came to giving out credit to Indian entrepreneurs and businesses.
Parsi Bawa didn’t like this. He wanted an Indian Bank managed by Indians. Early 1900s saw rise of Swadeshi movement and it was applied to the world of banking also
The young boy resigned from Bank of India service. Thakordas Parekh who worked with him at Bank of India left along with him & assisted him in setting up his bank by joining as Superintendent of Current Account and Bills It’s noteworthy that Thakordas Parekh is Deepak Parekh’s grandfather.
But initial few years post starting operations were not easy,
Between1913/1917. 87 banks failed
Early on post the bank started its operations, there were multiple runs on Parsi bawa’s bank too. Just 2 year into operations, there was a major run on the bank. Directors of the bank pledged titles of their personal properties to pay
Before 1923, Parsi bawa’s bank saw through another couple of bank runs. Each time coming out stronger purely on commitment and sincerity of its management.
Then something extraordinary happened in 1923
Not many know this, but Tata’s once owned and operated a bank too – for a grand total of 6 years.
They had once set up Tata Industrial Bank (TIB) during boom of WW1 (1917).
TIB had paid up capital of Rs. 2.3 cr and deposits totalling to ~6 cr. These were big numbers back then.
Post World War-1, the TIB started to get into trouble.
Once the boom of World War-1 ended TIB’s industrial investments rapidly depreciated. TIB had also spent 66 Lakh on magnificent structures in Bombay & Calcutta. House of Tatas was also passing through a lean phase in early 1920s.
Imagine what history would have looked like had a bank from Tatas failed.
Although a competitor bank, Parsi bawa didn’t want TIB to fail. TIB failing would have put shutters on operational success of lot of other Indian sponsored banks.
Parsi Bawa’s Banks all though less than one fifth in size of TIB, wanted to Amalgamate TIB with his bank.TIB was amalgamated with bank in July 1923.
The European staff of TIB was slowly replaced with Indians.
With this and some truly fantastic innovation mostly mastered by , the bank became a force to reckon with in Indian banking industry.
There were some firsts which came out from this bank. For example this bank was the first to launch a Safe Deposit Vault.It was also first in India to introduce HSS passbooks and system of withdrawals by cheques in Savings Account.
In 1924 it became the first to employ women assistants to serve lady customers and even maintained a separate department for them.Bank offered free life insurance if one maintained avg. bal. of Rs.10.
At one point one in 15 Bombayite had an account with his bank.
I belive you have gussed the name of Parsi Bawa and the Bank !
Parsi bawa’s name was Sir Sorabji N Pochkhanawala & his bank’s name is Central Bank of India.
Sir Sorabji was only 30 year old when he founded Central Bank.
Today Central Bank of India is a government owned bank, it is one of the oldest and largest commercial banks in India.It is based
in Mumbai.It is one of twelve public sector banks in India to get recapitalised in 2009. In a merging initiative Central Bank of India is kept out because it has Pan India presence
Despite its name it is not the central bank of India. It is a public bank.
(RBI)RESERVE BANK OF INDIA Is the central bank to India.
Source: Internet, Goggles Search, Reference Article by Shri.VK Chopra, Former CMD Corporation Bank
Sam Balsara, Chairman of Madison World in conversation with Michael Menezes
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