Dinyar Patel‘s biography of Dadabhai Naoroji has won the fourth edition of the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize, for 2021.

The book prize, instituted by the New India Foundation is named after the patriot and institution-builder who had contributed significantly to the freedom struggle, the women’s movement, refugee rehabilitation and the renewal of handicrafts.

The prize considers non-fiction literature on modern and contemporary India from writers of all nationalities published in the previous calendar year. It carries a cash award of Rs 15 lakhs and a citation.

Patel’s book Naoroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism is published by the Harvard University Press and illuminates the life and legacy of one of India’s first nationalists. The 19-century political figure who founded the Indian National Congress was the first British MP of Indian origin, and inspired Gandhi and Nehru.