New Delhi, Sept. 6 -- Few embody the paradoxical dance between wealth and nationalism quite like Jehangir Bomanji Petit.

Born on 21 August 1879 into one of Bombay's most affluent Parsi families, Petit inherited not just mills but also a legacy of entrepreneurial grit that traced back to his grandfather, Sir Dinshaw Maneckji Petit, a pioneer of India's textile industry. Dinshaw had begun with a modest cotton gin in 1854, before scaling into mills that profited from the American Civil War's cotton shortage, helping to establish Bombay as a textile hub.

By the time Jehangir assumed charge, the family controlled assets such as the Maneckji Petit Mills, a cornerstone of Bombay's economy. His father, Bomanjee Dinshaw Petit, had expanded the e...