Born on September 24, 1861 in a rich Parsi family, Madam Bhikaiji Cama is known as the mother of Indian mutiny. She was keenly interested in social and political work from her childhood. Rustum Cama, a famous solicitor of Bombay, married her and they settled in London. She kept contacts with many Indian revolutionaries and closely followed the Swadeshi movement. The Bande Mataram was the newspaper owned by her.
Madam Cama addressed the international Socialist Congress at Stuttgart, Germany on August 18, 1907, and presented the issue of India’s independence. At the end of the session, she unfolded a tri-color flag in green, yellow and red with the words ’Vande Mataram’ written on it. Mrs Cama called it as the Indian national flag. She tried to bring unity among Indians and encouraged to follow the principle of non-cooperation.
The British considered her as a dangerous revolutionary and her movements were closely watched. Even though she was under observation, she managed to send her leaflets and parcels to India. During the First World War, she was under surveillance and was jailed. After the war, she was exiled and was allowed to return to India only in 1935, when her health was very poor. On August 30, 1936, the great and brave lady of India breathed her last in Bombay.
