A Big Revelafion
BTNI Exclusive
Here is the pointwise facts about the subject – – – –
No, the British were just vendors. The dream of bringing railways to India was of an Indian Jain.
To hide the Indian pride, a big and serious tampering was done with the history during the time of the previous governments of our country.
Everyone gives the credit for starting the railways in India to the British, but perhaps very few people know about the contribution and hard work of Shrinana Jagannath Shankar Seth Murkute Jain.
On 15 September 1830, the world’s first intercity train ran between Liverpool and Manchester in England.
This news spread everywhere. A person in Bombay thought that trains should also run in his city.
Railways were just running in America and this person living in a poor and British-ruled country like India was dreaming of railways. If it would have been someone else, the public would have kicked him out.
But this person was no ordinary person. He was Shri Nana Shankarsheth Jain, a money lender of Bombay. Who himself had given a loan to the East India Company. Isn’t it…amazing?
The original name of Shri Nana Shankarsheth was Jagannath Shankar Murkute Jain, who was from Murbad, about 100 km from Bombay. He was rich generationally. His father was a very famous money lender of the British. He had earned a lot of money during the British-Tipu Sultan War. His only son was Nana. This child was born with a golden spoon in his mouth.
But not only wealth but also the hand of knowledge and blessings was on his head. The father had also arranged to teach English etc. to his son by hiring a special teacher. After the death of his father, he expanded the family business extensively. When many countries of the world bowed down to the British, the British officers used to rub their feet for the blessings of Nana Shankarsheth. Many British became his good friends. Bombay University, L Finston College, Grant Medical College, Law College, JJ School of Arts, the first school for girls in Bombay and Bombay University were established by Nana. Shrinana Shankarsheth Jain thought of starting a railway in Bombay. The year was 1843 when he went to his father’s friend Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy alias JJ. After the death of Shrinana’s father, he was like a father to Shrinana. He told his idea to Sir JJ. He also took the opinion of Sir Thomas Erskine Perry, a judge of the Supreme Court from England, on whether a railway could be started in Parle, Bombay. He was also surprised by this idea. These three together established the Indian Railway Association in India. At that time, the British government had no idea of building a railway in India. But when people like Mr. Nana Shankarsheth, Sir JJ, and Sir Perry said that they were seriously interested in this work, they had to pay attention to it. On 13 July 1844, the company presented a proposal to the government. An order was given to prepare a preliminary report on how far the railway track could be laid from Bombay. After that, the ‘Bombay Committee’ was formed. Nana gathered some other big British businessmen, officers and bankers and established the Great Indian Railway. Which is known as Indian Railways today.
*In India, on 16 April 1853, at 3:30 pm, the first train left for Thane from Bori Bunder station in Bombay. This train had 28 coaches and 3 locomotive engines. Which was specially decorated with flowers for its first journey. Among the passengers of this train were Shri Nana Shankarseth and Jamshedji Jijibhai Tata.
(With inputs from our reliable sources)
