Portrait of Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi (1828-1880)
Vinayak M. Oak (?-?)
India or United Kingdom? 1907. Oil on canvas
Former City of Geneva Collection; once belonged to the Indian independence fighter Shyamji Krishna Varma (1857-1930), active in London and exiled in Geneva until his death
MEG Inv. ETHAS 058046
A lawyer, reformer and major political activist for Indian independence, Ganesh Vasudeo Joshi (1828-1880) founded an organization that sought to play a mediating role between the British government and Indian representatives. Its fundamental demand was direct representation of the Indian people in the British parliament. In 1877, Joshi addressed his demands directly to the Governor-General of India, symbolically marking the start of the campaign for Indian liberation. D. Kunik/MEG
