Born ‎21 Jul 1874, died ‎17 Mar 1948‎, age 73 years

Died ‎22 Aug 1901

Born ‎1 Oct 1857, died ‎14 Jul 1928‎, age 70 years, ‎1st married/ related to: Nalibai Mehta, ‎2nd married/ related to: Ratanbai Mehta
Between the ages of 7 and 13, Meherwanji Mehta lived in Bombay where he studied at the branch school. His father Nanabhai and uncle Hormuzdji along with 4 or 5 other Parsi sub-contractors built the Kasara Ghat section for the Greater Indian Peninsula (GIP) Railway. Unfortunately, the main contractor diddled them all out by running away with some Rs. 50,000/- leading to the brothers exiting from this business. They had to return to Navsari.

In Navsari, Meherwanji studied for 4 years at Sir Kawasji Jehangirji Madrassa. When his maternal uncle E. N. Mehta visited Navsari from Canton, the young man inpressed him so much, that he sent him off to Calcutta (with 10 sets of clothes) where he studied commerce for 3 years at St. Xaviers' College.

Upto 1879, Meherwanji worked in a trading house for a paltry pay, but had eventually to leave for unknown reasons. He wrote to his uncle E. N. Mehta asking to come to China. In reply, he received 13 trunks of glass bangles to sell in Calcutta. From that beginning, Meherwanji rapidly expanded. Besides bangles, he started importing various other articles from China, Japan, England, Germany and Australia.

In 1897 he went to China where he set up a a branch office, putting his brother Dorabji in charge. He travelled to China and Japan 8 times during his lifetime. Twice he visited Europe. In fact, when WW1 broke out, he and his family were stuck in Germany. However, he managed to cross over to England from where he returned to Calcutta. Finally, in 1915, he set up a branch office in Bombay.

His horoscope is reputed to have said that he would make a lot of money (because his father was counting money when he was born on Dhanteras day). After the loss his father and uncle suffered in the building of the Kasara Ghat, a jyotish (astrologer) told them, after looking at Meherwanji's horoscope, that he was the cause of the failure, but that he would become the family's breadwinner by the age of 21.

Meherwanji Mehta donated a lot of money on a regular basis to charities and to poor parsis. Some of the recorded ones are below.

700/- Nashakhana @ Tarapore
2,000/- Dhunjibhai Mehta's Agiari @ Calcutta
4,000/- Dokhma Fund @ Calcutta
4,000/- Dharamshala @ Calcutta
2,400/- Bought Navazbaug at Navsari for use on good occasions in 1899
1,300/- Built extra wing for Navazbaug @ Navsari - 26 December 1899
4,000/- Mehta Club @ Navsari in 1906
20,000/- M. N. Mehta building for Seth Rustomji J. Jeejeebhoy A.V. School @ Navsari in 1908
500/- Well at Mogar in Jalalpur 1915
700/- Compound wall of Sanjaji Vaibhav Library @ Navsari in 1915
500/- Fund of R. F. Daboo Parsi General Hospital @ Navsari
500/- Kunur Khate Parsi Block Fund
20,000/- Bangli for the Parsi Anjuman at Navsari
1,200/- M. N. Mehta wing for the R.J.J.E.V. school @ Navsari - 15 June 1908
2,500/- Built extra wing for Mehta Club @ Navsari - 16 June 1906
1,001/- Government (Bana) Club Building @ Navsari

::: D. N. Mehta Lying in Hospital :::
Cost of Rs. 1,00,000/-
Foundation stone laid by Khasrao Balvant Jhadaven on 3 March 1913
Opened by Sir J. J. (Bart.) the Hon. Sherrif of Bombay Presidency on 17 January 1915

::: Article in the Jam-e-Jamshed (Navsari) 25 January 1930 :::
Bust Unveiled
The bust of M. N. Mehta donated by the Yodagari Janavnara Fund was unveiled today in the compound of the D. N. Mehta Lying in Hospital by Sir Phiroze Khurshedji Sethna. Earlier, children from Sir Jamshedji School gave a performance after which the lawyer, Mehrevanji Adarji Desai read out a report by the organising committee.
Sir Phiroze Sethna unveiled the statue amidst great applause after which he gave a long speech.

::: Jam-e-Jamshed (Navsari) 03 June 1912 :::

::: Swatantra 12 July 1914 :::

::: Jam-e-Jamshed (Navsari) 03 March 1916 :::
Report of an honour from the Gaekwad of Baroda.