“When the world slept on our struggle, she raised our flag high on foreign soil.”
🧕 Who Was Bhikaiji Cama?
Before Gandhi, before Nehru, before independence became a slogan—there was a woman in exile, writing the script of revolution with ink and fire.
Bhikaiji Rustom Cama was one of the earliest Indian revolutionaries. Born in 1861 in Bombay, she left India—but never left her dream of a free Bharat.
🇮🇳 The First Indian Flag—But Not on Indian Soil
In 1907, at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart, Germany, a voice echoed through the halls not in German, French, or English—but in passionate support of Indian independence.
Bhikaiji stood up and said:
“This flag is of Indian independence. I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to support this flag.”
She then unfurled the first version of India’s national flag, decades before 1947.
It was not just fabric—it was defiance, courage, and identity.
🚫 Rejected, Exiled, Yet Unstoppable
- She was denied a return to India by British authorities for over 30 years.
- She worked alongside Veer Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Verma in London and Paris.
- She financed newspapers, revolutionary pamphlets, and even shelter for young fighters from India in Europe.
All this, as a woman in the early 1900s—a time when even speaking out was revolutionary.
🧠 What We Learn from Her
- Courage doesn’t need permission. Bhikaiji didn’t wait for a movement to begin—she became the movement.
- You don’t have to be in India to fight for India.
- Recognition doesn’t matter when purpose is pure. Most textbooks still don’t talk enough about her—but her legacy is real.
✍️ Why This Story?
Because we often associate independence with only a few names. But behind the curtain were many silent warriors, like Bhikaiji Cama, whose sacrifices weren’t just brave—they were legendary.
This blog is a tribute to her and all those who gave everything, and got nothing in return—except the hope of a free tomorrow.
📣 Read, Reflect, Share
Let’s not let these names fade.
Let’s give the next generation stories worth remembering.
Until next time,
~ Team Abhijaano