Founded by Indian and British members of the Theosophical Society movement, most notably A.O. Hume,[149] the idea was originally conceived in a private meeting of 17 men after a Theosophical Convention held in the city in December 1884.[150] During the first 50 years of the Indian National Congress, the city played host to its conferences seven times in 1887, 1894, 1898, 1903, 1908, 1914 and 1927, becoming one of the strong bases for the Indian independence movement. After independence, the city hosted the Congress in 1955 in its suburb of Avadi.[151]