Historians Dinyar Patel and Prashant Kidambi discuss the life and legacy of Dadabhai Naoroji, who Gandhi referred to as the ‘Father of the Nation’. Dinyar has authored the book, Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism (Harvard University Press, 2020). 

They discuss Naoroji’s life and work as an Indian nationalist thinker, as a member of the British parliament, and as a leading intellectual whose legacy lives on even beyond India in various anti-colonial, nationalist and suffragette movements. 

This episode of BIC Talks was originally streamed live on BIC Streams on February 13th, in association with the Bangalore Literature Festival.

Dinyar Patel is a historian of modern India, focusing on Indian nationalism, the city of Bombay/Mumbai, and the Parsi Zoroastrian community. He is currently Assistant Professor of History at the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) in Mumbai. Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism is his first book. 

Prashant Kidambi is associate professor of colonial urban history at the University of Leicester, UK. Kidambi’s research explores the interface between British imperialism and the history of modern South Asia. He is the author of Cricket Country: An Indian Odyssey in the Age of Empire and the lead editor of Bombay Before Mumbai: Essays in Honour of Jim Masselos.

BIC Talks is brought to you by the Bangalore International Centre. Visit the BIC website for show notes, links and more information about the guests.