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About The Book : It is always an interesting study to trace the growth of municipal institutions, especially those of great towns and cities. In this respect the modern spirit of historical research, based on authentic state records, contemporary chronicles and other muniments, has contributed not a little towards achieving that purpose. Neither can we forget the invaluable aid which numismatics and archaeology have rendered and are still rendering towards the same end. They have all thrown back the shroud of years, so to say, and revealed to our gaze the sayings and doings of mighty men and mighty states long passed away and almost forgotten. Our modern philologists and archaeologists have made instinct with life, never dreamt of in the philosophy of the past centuries, the rock-cut temples and inscriptions, the monoliths of stone with the edicts of emperors engraved thereon, copperplate grants of kings and chiefs, mounds after mounds of baked bricks recording laws, history and economics, rolls upon rolls of papyrus, taking us back to primeval times, even unrecorded by the scripture, and cylinders on cylinders buried hundreds of feet below the earth which, unearthed, have revived for us the social, political and commercial life of nations, as intelligent and full of human interest as the world of today, who flourished some eight thousand years ago. About The Author : Sir Dinshaw Edulji Wacha (1844-1936), was a Parsi politician from Bombay (Mumbai). He was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress. Wacha was also the president of the Congress in 1901.Wacha was associated with the cotton industry and was the President of the Indian Merchants' Chamber in 1915. He was knighted in 1917. Sir Dinshaw was a member of the Bombay Legislative Council, the Imperial Legislative Council and the Council of State. He headed the Western India Liberal Association from 1919 to 1927. Wacha lamented the lack of dedicated leaders who were willing to devote to Congress's political goals. He observed how many figures, such as Pherozeshah Mehta, who would have made capable leaders, eschewed total alliance with the Congress for fear of damage to their private careers. Despite this lack of support from Indian leaders, Wacha did acknowledge the vital role that the Scotsman, Allan Hume, played in maintaining Congress in between sessions, stating, "He is the man to give us steam." Still, Wacha expressed concern over Hume's growing influence over Congress and micromanagement of its affairs. "Because he is indispensable... ought not to behave as a tyrant...He thinks in all matters he must have the upper hand." Wacha encouraged fellow Indians to take a more active and vocal role in Congress affairs, expressing, "We ought to be energetic and patriotic enough to make an advance in our political progress without such aid. We cannot expect a perennial crop of Allan Humes to assist us."