East India Association, Founder, History, Feature

The East India Association was established for the first time by Dadabhai Naoroji in London in 1866. The organisation set up its branches in many cities such as Bombay, Kolkata and Madras in 1869. The aim of setting up this organisation was to spread awareness to the British people about the conditions in India and to create support for Indian welfare. The organisation is also known as a predecessor of Indian National Congress. In this article, we are going to cover all about the East India Association and its features. 

East India Association

• The East India Association focused on the problem and questions related to India and to influence the British leaders to undertake the development of India. 
• The aim of the association was to advocate public interests and welfare of Indians. 
• The association worked towards presenting the right picture of India to the British public and raising a voice about Indian concerns in the British press. 
• The Ethnological Society of London worked on proving that Asians were inferior to Europeans in 1866. 

East India Association Features 

The East India Association established by Dababhai Naoriji in 1866 had the following features: 

• The East India Association was established, drawing inspiration from Dadabhai Naoroji, and eventually superseded the London Indian Society.
• Lord Lyveden was the first president of the organization.
• Initially, the association had around 1,000 members, but later women were admitted after 1912.
• The association aimed to promote awareness about Indian affairs among the British public through two prominent journals:
  • Journal of the East India Association
  • The Asiatic Quarterly Review (which later replaced the former)
• The Asiatic Quarterly Review also published various papers and proceedings of the association.
• The association conducted lectures by both Indian and British speakers, covering a wide range of topics such as:
  • Economic development
  • Indian literature
  • Women’s suffrage
• In 1949, the East India Association overtook the National Indian Association, becoming the Britain, India, and Pakistan Association.
• Later, in 1966, it merged with the former India Society (then known as the Royal India, Pakistan, and Ceylon Society) to form the Royal Society for India, Pakistan, and Ceylon.

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