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An Indian in the House: Lord Sheikh on the First Four Indians in British Parliament
09/07/25, 11:00
Lord Sheikh explores the lives of the first four Indians to enter British parliamentary office — ground breaking figures who helped reshape Westminster and redefine Britain's imperial identity.
- An Indian in the House tells the remarkable story of four pioneering Indian statesmen who changed the face of British politics: Dadabhai Naoroji, Mancherjee Bhownaggree, Shapurji Saklatvala, and Satyendra Sinha.
Between 1892 and the 1920s, these men — representing the Liberal, Conservative, Labour, and Imperial establishments — overcame entrenched racial and political barriers to achieve high office in Westminster. The first three were elected to the House of Commons as Members of Parliament. The fourth, Satyendra Sinha, became the first Indian member of the House of Lords and the first Indian to hold a ministerial post in a British government.
Written by Lord Mohamed Sheikh, himself a member of the House of Lords and a longstanding advocate for diversity and interfaith understanding, this book combines historical insight with a personal commitment to legacy and justice. Drawing on archival research and political analysis, it captures not only the achievements of these men but the imperial context they worked within — and the groundwork they laid for future generations.
An Indian in the House is essential reading for anyone interested in British political history, the Empire, race and representation, or the early foundations of multicultural democracy in the UK.
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