Dadiba Merwanji Dalal was the second High Commissioner for India to the United Kingdom and the first Indian to hold the post. He was appointed in April 1923 following the death of Sir William Meyer, the first High Commissioner, and the acting tenure of Joseph Bhore. The position was created in 1920 to ensure a direct representation of the Indian government in London.
Born in December 1870, into a Parsi merchant family in Bombay, Dalal was known for his efforts to protect Indian business interests. He was the eldest son of Merwanjee Rustomjee Dalal, a trade broker and co-founder of Messrs. Merwanjee and Byramjee, a firm which handled transactions of several major Indian companies.
There is no record of Dalal’s formal education; however, it is widely acknowledged that he received his training in trade, business transactions, and economic policies from his own family business. In 1899, after the death of his father, Dalal became the head of their family business. He actively participated in public debates on matters of trade and finance through his writings in newspapers and periodicals, including in The Economist.
His involvement in public service began not as a political leader or career civil servant, but as a representative of the Indian business community. He was chosen as the sole Indian member of the 1919 Committee on Indian Exchange and Currency. This Committee was formed to analyse India’s monetary standing in light of high inflation induced by the First World War. In the Committee, Dalal challenged British attempts to raise the value of the rupee against sterling.
In 1921, Dalal became a Member of the Council of India, a 15-member advisory body to the Secretary of State of India in London. The same year, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in recognition of his contribution to government service.
Dalal’s appointment as the High Commissioner was not only the British government’s recognition of his advisory acumen but also an effort to “Indianise” the Indian diplomatic offices. Growing nationalist sentiments in India forced the British to accept someone representing Indian interests in a major diplomatic position.
Dalal’s contribution as the first Indian diplomat in London is thinly documented. Some accounts suggest that he was a critic of the Secretary of State for India’s approach towards the Government of India, although the evidence remains sketchy. He was knighted in 1924 in recognition of his services. However, barely a year and a half after his appointment, in September 1924, he resigned from the position, citing ill health.
Dalal spent his later years in France. He died in 1941, when the country was under German occupation.
