Cursetjee, Ardaseer (1808-1877), was an Indian engineer who played an important part in introducing the steam engine to India. He also brought several other technologies to the country.
Cursetjee was born in Bombay (now Mumbai) on Oct. 6, 1808, to a family of the Parsi caste (see Parsis ). He began work in the Bombay dockyard at the age of 14. After qualifying as a naval architect, he was placed in charge of the shipbuilding yard at Mazagon in 1828. He developed an interest in steam engines and built his own small steam engine, the first in Bombay. In 1835, Cursetjee introduced gas lighting to Bombay when he installed a gas lighting system in his own home.
In 1839, Cursetjee went to the United Kingdom to study the latest developments in marine engineering. He was elected an associate of the Institute of Civil Engineers in the United Kingdom in 1840. Later that year, he returned to India and, in 1841, took charge of the steam branch of the British Navy. While on duty, Cursetjee became the first Indian elected a fellow of the Royal Society, one of the world’s foremost scientific organizations. In 1843, Cursetjee took charge of the newly opened Bombay Steam Factory.
In the 1850’s, after visiting the United Kingdom and the United States, Cursetjee introduced the sewing machine, photography, and electroplating to India. In 1858, Cursetjee became superintending engineer of the Indus Flotilla Company, but he was forced to leave his post due to ill health. Cursetjee retired and settled in England. He died on Nov. 16, 1877.
