"Wisdom before riches"
Motto set into the mosaic floor at
Premchand Roychand’s Matheran bungalow
Premchand Roychand – His Life and Times is a biography written by Sharada Dwivedi, known to many as the modern-day historian on Bombay. This biography was written in commemoration of Premchand Roychand’s 100th Death Anniversary.
About the book
Born at Surat in March 1831, Premchund Roychund, who belonged to the Dosa Oswal Bania or Vani caste of Shravak Jains, moved as a young boy with his family to Bombay.From humble beginnings, Premchund Roychund, who was educated at the Elphinstine Institution, carved a successful and prosperous career for himself
and, in time, became one of the wealthiest an most prominent citizens of Bombay. Many know of him as the ‘Cotton King’, who had several ups and downs in his professional life, particularly during the share mania between 1861 and 1865 and the crash that followed.
Few are aware, however, that his philanthropy towards the city that gave him his success, is beyond measure. And yet, there is not a single statue installed in his memory or any street in the city that bears his name. But that was typical of this extraordinary man who sought neither fame and recognition, nor awards or titles during his life. Today, however, the many educational and social institutions and awards that he helped establish around the country bear testimony to his munificence. Click here for a book review published in the Times of India.
About the author
Sharada Dwivedi graduated in Commerce & Economics and Library Science and trained in reference work in Paris. She has specialised in books about Bombay. She is active with several conversation projects, is on the Governing Council of the Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI) and has served as a Member of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee.
The biography was launched in Mumbai at the opening of the “Bombay Bonanza” exhibition at the
- Prince of Wales Museum. Copies of this biography are available at the Bombay Paperie.