Contribution of Dadabhai Naoroji to India's Struggle for Freedom?

Dadabhai Naoroji was a prominent Indian political leader, scholar, and social reformer who played a significant role in India's struggle for independence from British rule. He was born in 1825 in Bombay (now Mumbai) and was educated in England, where he later became a professor of Gujarati at University College London.

Naoroji was a founding member of the East India Association, which was established in 1866 to campaign for greater Indian representation in the British government. He also served as the president of the Indian National Congress, the leading organization in the Indian independence movement, on three occasions (1886, 1893, and 1906).

One of Naoroji's most notable contributions to India's struggle for freedom was his work on the "drain theory," which argued that British rule was causing a drain of wealth and resources from India to Britain. In his book "Poverty and Un-British Rule in India," published in 1901, Naoroji argued that the British government was deliberately underpaying India for its exports and overcharging it for imported goods, resulting in a transfer of wealth from India to Britain. This theory helped to build support for the Indian independence movement and made Naoroji a leading figure in the struggle for freedom.

In addition to his work on the drain theory, Naoroji also played a key role in shaping the demands of the Indian independence movement. He called for greater political representation for Indians within the British government, as well as for the establishment of a federal system of government in India that would allow for greater autonomy and self-governance.

Naoroji's contributions to India's struggle for independence were widely recognized, and he is often referred to as the "Grand Old Man of India." He died in 1917 at the age of 92, leaving behind a legacy as a pioneering leader in India's fight for freedom.