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Marking the centenary of the death of Dr Dadabhai Naoroji

Angus Girling — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 15:56:17 +0000

The 22^nd of March 2018 was a momentous occasion for the Zoroastrian all-party parliamentary group. At 16:00 Zoroastrians gathered in the House of Lords Committee Room 5 for the centenary commemoration of the death of Dr Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Zoroastrian/Indian to be elected into British parliament (1892). The meeting was hosted and presided over by Lord Karan Bilimoria, Co-Chair of the Zoroastrian APPG, and to mark the occasion the group had arranged for three speakers to present essays to the APPG. These speakers included Dr Vikram Visana with his paper ‘Never say die!: Dadabhai Naoroji’s Indianisation of British politics’, Mr Daniel Hunt MA, discussing ‘The British political careers and historical legacies of Dadabhai Naoroji’. And thirdly, speaker Dr Kusoom Vadgama spoke on ‘Naoroji: the Icon of Indian Nationalism.

All three speakers combined personal interest, with intellect and objective truths to produce three truly touching tributes to Naoroji and his lifelong pursuit of Indian interests, and relations. A key theme of all three was Naoroji’s benevolence and philanthropic work as a true Zoroastrian, and his abilities as a skilful politician to manoeuvre through the turbulent atmosphere of parliament enabling the voices of Indians globally to be heard. Naoroji didn’t allow the power of the Empire to distort his views, rather he stood up to the mistreatment of India by the Empire, and actively aimed to correct the Empires faults.

Touching words from Ms T. Ajungla Jamir, Councellor (Political & Extradition) at the Indian High Commission, and closing remarks from Mr Malcom Deboo, President Zoroastrian Trust Funds Europe (ZTFE). Lord Karan Bilimoria thanked the Parliamentary group, and touching final words were delivered from Dr Vadgama who had the room in total suspense with a quote from Naoroji himself, “I am a Hindu, a Muslim, a Parsi, but above all an Indian”. A true citizen of India, but also of Britain, he deserves to be remembered as the greatest patriot of India in the last century.

Report written by Rory Newman

Celebration of the Life of Dr Dadabhai Naoroji

Angus Girling — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:40:37 +0000

On October 18th the Zoroastrian APPG, in collaboration with the History of Parliament, celebrated the life of Dr Dadabhai Naoroji, the first Indian MP, at an event in Portcullis House.

The event included a discussion with a distinguished panel including His Excellency the High Commissioner of India Mr YK Sinha, our main speaker the Lord Parekh, the Under Secretary of State at the Department of Communities and Local Government Lord Bourne, the Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry, our Chairman Gareth Thomas MP, Gordon Marsden MP (on behalf of the HPT) and the President of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe Mr Malcolm Deboo who also spoke on behalf of Lord Bilimoria who was sadly unable to attend due to his health.

The event was an enormous success with a strong attendance and interest from both Houses and the general public.

For further information on the event please see the link below to a write up by the History of Parliament:

https://thehistoryofparliament.wordpress.com/2017/11/22/naoroji-the-life-of-the-first-indian-mp/

Faith-based Ethics in Business – The Cadbury and the Tata way.

Angus Girling — Wed, 18 May 2016 12:22:13 +0000

On the 25 April, we hosted the first All-Party Parliamentary Group meeting of the year. We were privileged to have David Landsman OBE, Head of Tata in the UK, and Sir Dominic Cadbury, Former Chairman of Cadbury Schweppes, give their thoughts on faith-based ethics in business. David Landsman discussed the influence of Zoroastrianism on Jamsetji Tata and how that shaped Tata’s business practices globally. This resonated well with the thoughts of Sir Dominic Cadbury, who detailed the impact that historic Quaker values have had on the Cadbury business. There was a strong overlap between the two, with both speakers emphasising the need for businesses to promote the welfare of workers and to give back to the community.

His Excellency Navtej Sarna, the High Commissioner of India, spoke warmly of his experiences with the Parsi community over the years, even declaring that he worked for Tata as a young graduate. Mr Sarna went on to praise the Zoroastrian contribution to India, noting their role in India’s freedom movement, nation building, and subsequent development, as well as their contributions in many other fields such as sport and music. He highlighted the achievements of Zoroastrians like of Zubin Mehta, who he has a close connection with and has known for many years, as being vital to India’s success and stressed the benefits that India has gained from its decision to allow Parsis to settle in the country over a thousand years ago.

The meeting was covered by Antonia Filmer in the Sunday Guardian Live. The entire article can be accessed by clicking on this link provided.

You can also find a transcript of the speeches made by guest speakers provided below.

Zoroastrian APPG Meeting -Transcription 25.04.16

Celebrating Cyrus the Great at Westminster

Angus Girling — Mon, 02 Nov 2015 14:34:49 +0000

On the 26^th of October, the Zoroastrian APPG celebrated Cyrus the Great Day at Westminster. The celebrations marked the day Cyrus, who is world renowned for establishing the first charter of human rights – Cyrus Cylinder, entered Babylon. The event was attended by a number of influential Parliamentarians who listened to leading academics give their thoughts about the importance of Cyrus Cylinder.

The event was covered by the The Sunday Guardian reporter Antonia Filmer who highlighted Cyrus the Great’s remarkable achievements and commitment to universal Zoroastrian principles. The full article is available here.