who are known as the "Merchant Princes of Bombay"?

Answer 1

Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, David Sassoon, Premchand Roychand and Jamsetji Tata.


These were no ordinary businessmen, for their vision and flair transformed the city of Bombay from an ‘Isle of Palms’ into a ‘City of Gold’. Traces of dhows that bobbed on the Bunder of cotton bales than once flanked the dusty Green have vanished. Through old photographs and statues, imposing portraits and architectural wonders, we catch a rare glimpse of a time when Jamsetji Jejeebhoy dominated the so called China trade; ‘David Sassoon & Sons’ became the most powerful trading house in the Orient; the home of the legendary Premchand Roychand was labeled a ‘miniature stock exchange’; and Jamsetji Tata’s vision brought the Industrial Revolution to India. It was an era when unimaginable fortunes were amassed and huge benefactions graciously bestowed on the city.

Answer 2

Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy, David Sassoon, Premchand Roychand and Jamsetji Tata were the Merchant Princes of Bombay’ as per an unusual half hour documentary film by Director Zafar Hai which touches on the life and times.

The synopsis of the documenty is as under -

These were no ordinary businessmen, for their vision and flair transformed the city of Bombay from an ‘Isle of Palms’ into a ‘City of Gold’. Traces of dhows that bobbed on the Bunder of cotton bales than once flanked the dusty Green have vanished. Through old photographs and statues, imposing portraits and architectural wonders, we catch a rare glimpse of a time when Jamsetji Jejeebhoy dominated the so called China trade; ‘David Sassoon & Sons’ became the most powerful trading house in the Orient; the home of the legendary Premchand Roychand was labeled a ‘miniature stock exchange’; and Jamsetji Tata’s vision brought the Industrial Revolution to India. It was an era when unimaginable fortunes were amassed and huge benefactions graciously bestowed on the city.

Since the lives of these four Merchant Princes overlapped and intertwined, the film traces a linear path taking us through the revolutions that marked the century – the decline of the great sailing ships and the rise of steam, the Cotton Boom that transformed Bombay, and the effects of the Industrial Revolution on trade and enterprise in India.-