Narayan Ganesh Chandavarkar

We also remember one of the earliest moderate leaders Narayan Ganesh Chandavarkar, who was born on 2nd December, 1855 in Honavar in the Bombay Presidency.  After getting his law degree in 1881, Chandavarkar went to London in 1885 as a member of the three-man delegation to educate public opinion about India before England's general elections. On his return, he threw himself whole-heartedly into the work of the Indian National Congress, and was elected President of its annual session in 1900. Thereafter, he took a break from active politics and dedicated his life to the judicial systems and social causes, taking over leadership reins of PrarthnaSamaj after the death of MahadevGovindRanande in 1901.  He re-entered the political field in 1914 and led the All-India Moderates Conference in 1918, along with SurendranathBanerjea and DinshawWacha. In 1920 he presided over the public meeting held in Bombay to protest against the report of the Hunter Committee on the JallianwalaBagh atrocities which was appointed by the British authorities. It was on Chandavarkar's advice that Gandhiji called off the non-cooperation movement.