Pheroshah mehta

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We have survived the charge of being a microscopic minority.

in 1894 and 1904 saw him knighted. He saw in education the means by which India could modernise itself rapidly; he laid great emphasis on the value of English.

He had a hand in the establishment of a Swadeshi bank i.e. (Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire) in 1894 and later as KCIE (Knight Commander) in 1904.

The University of Bombay conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Law degree in 1915.

Pherozeshah Mehta earned several nicknames during his lifetime, including “Ferocious Mehta,” “Lion of Bombay,” and “Uncrowned King of Bombay.”

Influence on Indian Independence Movement

Early Nationalists (Moderates)

Mehta belonged to the group of early nationalists, known as Moderates, who believed in British justice and integrity.
They viewed British rule as beneficial and advocated for constitutional, peaceful means for reform.

Achievements

Mehta’s contributions led to a national awakening and the popularization of democracy, civil liberties, secularism, and nationalism.
He exposed British colonialism and laid the foundation for later nationalist movements.
Mehta founded The Bombay Chronicle in 1910, an English-language weekly newspaper that served as a nationalist voice during the struggle for independence.

Demands

His demands included administrative reforms such as Indian Civil Service examinations in England and India, executive-judiciary separation, increased Indian representation in administration, spread of primary education, and improvements in the police system.
Politically, he called for the abolition of the India Council Act, expansion of legislative councils, “No taxation without representation,” and the pursuit of Swaraj (self-governance) within the British Empire.
He also advocated for Indian representation in the Viceroy’s executive council and defended civil rights, particularly against the Preventive Detention Act, restoration of individual liberties, and freedom of speech and press.

Legacy

Pherozeshah Mehta’s importance in nation building is evident in his portrait at the Indian Parliament House.
He is revered in Mumbai, with roads, halls, and law colleges named after him.
His leadership in law and politics served as an inspiration for young Indians, laying the foundations for their involvement in Indian politics.
Pherozeshah Mehta passed away on November 5, 1915, leaving behind a legacy that continues to influence India’s political and social fabric to this day.

Pherozeshah Mehta’s legacy as a foundational figure in the Indian independence movement and in the establishment of municipal governance in Bombay is profound.

He was called to the bar in 1868. He became a member of the Bombay Legislative Council in 1893. After studying in the Elphinstone College and taking his Master's degree with the Bombay University, he went to England to study law. Well, gentlemen, we have pretty well passed the first two stages. He was the Municipal commissioner in 1873 and the Chairman in 1884-5 and again in 1905.

He gave up his successful career as a lawyer to enter public life as a nationalist, and was elected the president of the Indian National Congress in 1890. His antipathy to violent methods in politics alienated him from Tilak and Pal, his innate trust in constitutionalism, his dislike of regional and communal developments, made him criticise Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

These were characteristics that distinguished the Liberal School in Indian politics.

That is followed, as the movement progresses, by one of abuse, which is usually succeeded by partial concession and misapprehension of aim, accompanied by warnings against taking ‘big jumps into the unknown’.

The final stage of all is a substantial adoption of the object of the movement, with some expression of surprise that it was not adopted before.

He was engaged in the forming and running of political associations and in serving Governmental official institutions.

Pherozeshah Mehta had a notable record. In the proceedings of the Indian National Congress (in its founding he had a distinctive hand) he held an important and commanding position. In this capacity, he laid the foundation stone for the convocation hall of the University and the Rajabai Tower a few months before his death on November 5, 1915.

The first is one of ridicule. Education, both primary and higher, absorbed his interests throughout his life.

Along with Justice Telang, he founded the Bombay Presidency Association (1885) and served as its Secretary.

While in England, he used to frequent the house of Dadabhai Naoroji, and these visits were to remain important influences in moulding his liberal outlook.

Several of his close friends were liberals; besides Telang and Badruddin Tyabji (who along with Pherozeshah Mehta were described as ‘the three bright boys of Bombay’), Ranade, Gokhale, Wacha, W.

C. Bonnerjee and Bal Mohan Wagle were close to Mehta.

This made him a part of the Liberal School of Indian politics. His main endeavour was to keep the extremists from dominating the Congress, and in this he was largely successful.

He presided over the Congress session held in Calcutta (1890) and was twice elected the President of the Reception Committee when the Congress sessions met in Bombay (1889 and 1904).