40 years before freedom, Bhikaiji Cama hoisted the first Indian flag in Stuttgart

The moment of legendary freedom-fighter Bhikaiji Patel-Cama first hoisting the Indian flag in Germany and issuing a simple appeal to the world to support India's struggle for independence is etched in golden letters in the country's history, as it was during a time when the freedom movement had very few women at the forefront.

It was on August 2, 1907, when the 46-year-old feminist-nationalist Bhikaiji Cama was in Stuttgart attending the International Socialist Conference - during her forced sojourn in Europe, US and later north Africa - that she took the opportunity to unveil the Indian flag before the world and sought their support for her motherland's freedom from the British oppression.

She told the horrors of the famine that had ravaged India, the flouting of human rights, and equality by Britain and demanded independence from the British Raj.

The flag, later smuggled into India and currently housed at a Pune museum, was jointly designed by Bhikaiji Cama and Shyamji Krishnavarma and later inspired the national tricolour that was created for independent India.

Her flag comprised a green stripe at the top with eight lotuses in bloom symbolising the country's provinces, 'Bande Mataram' scribbled at the centre in Hindi on the saffron stripe, along with a sun on the left and a crescent moon on the right, symbolising the two dominant faiths - Hinduism and Islam - in the country.

That small act - coming from a woman - succeeded in drawing big attention to India's plight, its yearning and struggle for independence, before the global comity, embarrassing the British rulers.

Born into a wealthy Zoroastrian

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