Joseph Baptista
| Joseph Baptista | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Mayor of Bombay | |
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In office 1925–1926 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 March 1864 Matharpacady, Mazagaon, Bombay |
| Died | 18th September 1930 (aged 66) Bombay |
| Resting place | Sewri cemetery |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Parents | John Baptista |
| Residence | Bombay |
| Education | Barrister |
| Alma mater | University of Bombay University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Engineer in the forest department |
| Known for | Mayor of Bombay |
| Website | kakabaptista.com |
Joseph "Kaka" Baptista (17 March 1864 – 1930) was an Indian politician and activist from Bombay (today known as Mumbai), closely associated with the Lokmanya Tilak and the Home Rule Movement. He is credited with the coining of the popular phrase "Swaraj is my Birthright and I shall have it". He was elected as the Mayor of Bombay in 1925. He was given the title Kaka that means "uncle".
Joseph Baptista was born on 17 March 1864 in Matharpacady in Mazagaon, Bombay. His father, John Baptista hailed from Uttan, near Bassein (now Vasai). The Baptistas belonged to the East Indian ethnic community, who were converted to Roman Catholicism during Portuguese rule between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries.
He completed his early education from St. Mary's School, Mumbai. He then joined the College of Engineering in Pune and later pursued a BA degree in Political Science from the Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. During this period, he first met Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
In 1901, Baptista joined the Bombay Municipal Corporation, and would be a part of the BMC for the next 17 years. Influenced by the Irish Home Rule movement, Baptista's ideas on an Indian version took root. His ideas deeply influenced Tilak and the two became close associates. He assisted Tilak by launching the Sarvajanik Ganpati (public Ganpati celebrations) to raise nationalistic feelings. In addition, Baptista coined the phrase "Swaraj is my Birthright", that was later made popular by Tilak. In 1916, along with Tilak, Annie Besant founded the Home Rule Movement, with Baptista opening the Belgaum unit. He was also the legal advisor to Lokmanya Tilak. Later he interviewed British Prime Minister David Lloyd George for the British government's views on the Home Rule. In the interview, Baptista gained the impression "that the Cabinet had decided to give India the fullest possible measure of Home Rule without delay."
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