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Sir Homi Mody ... Dadabhai Naoroji: Five Parsis behind Mumbai’s street names—Part 2

These five roads in Mumbai are named after politicians, bankers, lawyers and activists who had two things in common: one, they were Parsi, and two, they all contributed to the development of Mumbai, and India as a whole.

July 03, 2021 / 14:10 IST
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There is no community in Mumbai as wealthy as the Parsis. Bombay owes a lot of its historical glory to them. The British clearly thought favourably of them, given the linkages they formed with the community. In 1877, Sir J.R. Carnac, governor of Bombay, is said to have told them: “I would ask you to remember that you have what is called the very bluest blood in Asia.” Until 1946 – a total of 63 Parsis had been knighted. Today, they muster up a population of less than 80,000. But their credibility is inversely proportional to their dwindling numbers. Mumbai real estate is dominated by them. Even today the perception among a large home buyer audience is that they will not be deceived and duped by Parsi builders.

As rich as that perception may be, even richer is the history of the community. In last week’s column, I wrote about five personalities behind Mumbai’s streets. In this week’s piece – I write about five Parsis behind Mumbai’s streets.

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Sir Homi Mody Street, Fort: Mody was a lawyer, businessman and administrator. After joining as a partner in a textile firm, he led the textile industry’s campaign for protective tariffs against foreign competition. At the age of 32 in 1913, he was elected chairman of the Bombay Municipal Corporation, where he remained for the next 29 years. He joined the Tatas as director in the 1930s and stayed on for the next 25 years. He was knighted in 1935. His son, Russi Mody, would later on go to become the chairman and managing director of Tata Steel. Today – the street on which the headquarters of the Tata Group stands – is named after Homi Mody.

Veer Nariman Road, Fort, and Nariman Point, Marine Drive: Next to the Sir Homi Mody Street is a road named after Khurshed Framji Nariman – also known as Veer Nariman. He hit the spotlight when he launched a ferocious attack against British administrators over the Backbay Reclamation scandal in 1928. The project was toned down thereafter in scale. Nariman later became Mayor of Bombay from 1935-36. A year later, after being passed over in the selection of chief minister - which went in favour of B.G. Kher -he sparked a controversy with complaints of communal bias. His name is, however, retained widely even today among masses, as the business district of Nariman Point is named after him.