Dossabhoy Muncherji Raja
Encyclopedia
Dossabhoy Muncherji Raja (1873 – 1947) was the first native Indian to be appointed 'Principal Appraiser' of precious stones for the customs office of the Bombay Presidency
, which was then a province of British India.
The title of Khan Sahib
was conferred upon Dossabhoy Raja on January 2, 1933 by the (then) Viceroy and Governor General of India, Lord Willingdon
, in recognition of his role in the apprehension of a gang of smugglers. Raja had surreptitiously visited Jamnagar
on the Gulf of Kutch
in Gujarat, which was then under a Nawab
's rule and outside British Imperial jurisdiction. Clad in a dhoti
and posing as a Gujarati trader, Raja had then risked his life to collect information on smugglers operating on the northern borders of the Presidency. The information Raja collected led to the arrest of the gang.
Dossabhoy Muncherji Raja was a Parsi-Zoroastrian and a resident of Bombay's (today Mumbai) Dadar
Parsi Colony. The Citation (Sanad) of the Khan Sahib title and the coveted Khan Sahib medal are today in the possession of Raja's descendants in Mumbai.
Bombay Presidency
The Bombay Presidency was a province of British India. It was established in the 17th century as a trading post for the English East India Company, but later grew to encompass much of western and central India, as well as parts of post-partition Pakistan and the Arabian Peninsula.At its greatest...
, which was then a province of British India.
The title of Khan Sahib
Khan Sahib
Khan Sahib - a compound of khan and sahib - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred exclusively on Muslim, Parsi and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire...
was conferred upon Dossabhoy Raja on January 2, 1933 by the (then) Viceroy and Governor General of India, Lord Willingdon
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...
, in recognition of his role in the apprehension of a gang of smugglers. Raja had surreptitiously visited Jamnagar
Jamnagar
Jamnagar is a city and a municipal corporation in Jamnagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. The city was built up substantially by Maharaja Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji in the 1920s, when the district was known as Nawanagar. The district lies just to the south of the Gulf of Kutch and is...
on the Gulf of Kutch
Gulf of Kutch
The Gulf of Kutch is an inlet of the Arabian Sea along the west coast of India, in the state of Gujarat, and renowned for extreme daily tides .The maximum depth of Gulf of Kutch is ....
in Gujarat, which was then under a Nawab
Nawab
A Nawab or Nawaab is an honorific title given to Muslim rulers of princely states in South Asia. It is the Muslim equivalent of the term "maharaja" that was granted to Hindu rulers....
's rule and outside British Imperial jurisdiction. Clad in a dhoti
Dhoti
The dhoti or pancha is the traditional men's garment in the in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. A similar garment is worn in some rural areas of Punjab province in Pakistan, but the use is fast declining...
and posing as a Gujarati trader, Raja had then risked his life to collect information on smugglers operating on the northern borders of the Presidency. The information Raja collected led to the arrest of the gang.
Dossabhoy Muncherji Raja was a Parsi-Zoroastrian and a resident of Bombay's (today Mumbai) Dadar
Dadar
Dadar is a place in Mumbai, and is also a railway station on both the Western and Central lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. Dadar is situated in the heart of Mumbai, and Dadar station is the only railway station common to both the Central and Western lines...
Parsi Colony. The Citation (Sanad) of the Khan Sahib title and the coveted Khan Sahib medal are today in the possession of Raja's descendants in Mumbai.