The Tatas who became British MPs and fought for India’s freedom

To most people, the name Shapurji Saklatvala might not jump out of the history books. But like any good story from the past, the son of a cotton merchant – a member of India’s ultra-wealthy Tatas family – has quite the story.

At every turn, his life seemed filled with constant struggle, defiance, and persistence. He neither shares his surname nor his fate with his wealthy cousins.

Unlike them, he will not continue to run the Tata Group, which is now one of the world’s largest business empires and owns iconic British brands such as Jaguar Land Rover and Tetley Tea.

Instead, he became an outspoken and influential politician, lobbying for India’s freedom in the British Parliament, the center of the colonial empire, even coming into conflict with Mahatma Gandhi.

But why did Sakratwala, who was born into a merchant family, take such a different path from his relatives? How did he become Britain’s first Asian MP? The answer is as complex as Sakratwala’s relationship with her family.

Sakratwala is the son of cotton merchant Dorabji, and Jalbai is the youngest daughter of Tata Group founder Jamsetji Nusewanji Tata. When Saklatvala was 14, his family moved into Esplanade House in Mumbai to live with Jerbai’s brother (whose name was also Jamsetji) and his family.

Saklatvala’s parents separated when he was young, so young Jamsetji became the main father figure in his life.

Sakratwala said: “Jamshetji has always been particularly fond of Shapurji and saw great potential in him from a very young age; he gave him a lot of attention and had full confidence in his abilities. Both as a boy and as a man.

But Jamshetji’s love for Sakratwala made his eldest son Dolab resent his cousin.

“Both as boys and as men, they were always at odds with each other; the rift was never healed,” Seri writes.

This ultimately led to Dorab cutting back on Saklatvala’s role in the family business, inspiring him to pursue a different path.

But beyond family dynamics, Sakratwala was deeply affected by the devastation caused by the Black Death in Bombay in the late 1890s. He saw the pandemic disproportionately impact the poor and working class, while those at the top of society, including his family, were relatively unaffected.

During this period, Saklatvala, who was still a college student Working closely with Waldemar HavkinA Russian scientist who had to flee his country because of his revolutionary, anti-tsarist political stance. Haffkin developed a vaccine against the plague, and Sakratwala went door-to-door to convince people to get vaccinated.

“Their views had much in common; no doubt the close association between the idealistic older scientist and the compassionate young student must have helped shape and crystallize Shapurji’s beliefs,” Seri said in written in the book.

Another important influence was his relationship with waitress Sally Marsh in 1907. Life is difficult for the Marsh family and everyone has to work hard to make ends meet.

But the wealthy Sakratwala is attracted to Marsh, and during their courtship he is exposed to the hardships of Britain’s working class through her life. Sehri writes that her father was also influenced by the selfless lives of Jesuit priests and nuns, with whom he studied in school and college.

Therefore, after Sakratwala went to England in 1905, he devoted himself to politics with the aim of helping the poor and marginalized groups. He joined the Labor Party in 1909 and the Communist Party 12 years later. He was deeply concerned about the rights of the working class in India and Britain and believed that only socialism – not any imperialist regime – could eradicate poverty and give people a say in governance.

Sakratwala’s speeches were very popular and he soon became a celebrity. In 1922 he was elected to Parliament and served as a member of Parliament for nearly seven years. During this period he was a strong advocate for freedom in India. His views were so strong that one Anglo-Indian MP from the Conservative Party dismissed him as a dangerous “radical communist”.

While an MP, he also traveled to India to give speeches urging the working class and young nationalists to stand their ground and pledge support for the freedom movement. He also Helped organize and establish the Communist Party of India in the areas he visited.

His strident views on communism often clashed with Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent methods of defeating common opponents.

In a letter to Gandhi, he wrote: “Dear Comrade Gandhi, we are all capricious, and in order to express ourselves freely and correctly, we all allow each other to express our opinions rudely” and made no secret of it. Expressed his dissatisfaction with Gandhi’s non-cooperation.

Although the two never came to an agreement, they remained friendly to each other and united in their common goal of overthrowing British rule.

Sakratwala’s fiery speeches in India disturbed British officials and he was barred from returning to the country in 1927.

Sakratwala remained an important figure in British politics and the Indian nationalist movement until his death in 1936. Beside the Tower, uniting him once again with the Tatas.