Ardeshir Dalal

Sir Ardeshir Dalal, KCIE (24 April 1884 – 8 October 1949) was an Indian Parsi civil servant, and later, a businessman associated with the Tata Group. He was knighted in 1946, and was a vocal opponent of the partition of India.

Biography Dalal was born on 24 April 1884 in Bombay to Rustomjee Dalal, who worked as share-broker. Following this, he qualified by examination to enter the Indian Civil Service, joining in 1908.

He was the founder of IIT'S. He joined Tata Group as a Director of Tata Steel in 1931 and served Tata group till 1941 and again from 1945 his death in 1949.

He was one of the signatories to the Bombay Plan formulated in 1944.

In June 1944, he resigned from Tatas as the Viceroy, Lord Wavell, invited him to join the Viceroy's Executive Council as Member-in-Charge of Planning and Development. died on 8 October 1949.

Opposition to Division of India Before the creation of Pakistan, Dalal suggested (In an article titled An Alternative to Pakistan which was published in May 1943.)

He viewed India as not only a geographical but also a cultural and a spiritual entity. In the words of Dalal,

Dalal believed that the creation of Pakistan would impede this unity and it should be "considered only if no other alternative is possible". Highlighting the primary cause of Muslims' objection to live in a united India under a central government, Dalal wrote,