Lalan Singh pays tribute to Bhikaji Cama on her birth anniversary
Synopsis
Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) marked the birth anniversary of revolutionary Bhikaji Cama on 24 September 2026, honouring the freedom fighter who first hoisted a version of India's national flag on foreign soil at Stuttgart in 1907.
Key Takeaways
Lalan Singh posted a tribute to Bhikaji Cama on her birth anniversary, 24 September 2026 , on X.
Cama ( 1861–1936 ) unfurled a precursor to the Indian national flag at the International Socialist Congress, Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907 — the first such act on foreign soil.
A Parsi born in Bombay , Cama worked alongside Tilak and Varma and operated from exile in Paris and London for decades.
The British government declared her a wanted person; she returned to India only shortly before her death in 1936 .
Indian political leaders across party lines routinely commemorate independence-era figures on social media as part of broader national-remembrance culture.
A revolutionary who carried India's fight to foreign soil — Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) on Thursday, 24 September 2026, paid heartfelt tribute to Bhikaji Cama, the fearless freedom fighter who became the first person to unfurl a version of the Indian national flag on foreign land.
Posting in Hindi on X, the Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying wrote: 'Bhartiya Swatantrata Andolan ki mahan virangana aur videshi dharti par sabse pehle Bharat ka jhanda fahrane wali Madam Bhikaji Cama ji ki jayanti par unhe sadar naman!' — ('Respectful salutations to the great heroine of the Indian independence movement, Madam Bhikaji Cama, who was the first to hoist India's flag on foreign soil, on the occasion of her birth anniversary!')
The woman who took India's colours to Stuttgart in 1907
Bhikaji Rustom Cama (1861–1936) was among the most audacious figures of the pre-independence era. At the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart, Germany, in August 1907, she unfurled a hand-crafted precursor to the Indian national flag — a moment that announced India's aspiration for self-rule to an international audience at a time when the colonial order seemed unshakeable. The act was not merely symbolic; it was a direct challenge to British imperial authority, performed on European soil and in front of a global gathering. Born in Bombay into a prosperous Parsi family, Cama channelled her privilege into radical activism. She worked alongside figures such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Shyamji Krishna Varma, wrote and published revolutionary literature from Paris and London, and raised funds for the independence cause across Europe. The British government declared her a wanted person, and she spent decades in exile before returning to India shortly before her death.A routine tribute with an exceptional subject
Indian political leaders across party lines regularly mark the birth and death anniversaries of independence-era icons on social media, weaving the freedom struggle into contemporary public discourse. What makes today's tribute resonate is the stature of its subject: Cama's story — a woman, an exile, a flag-bearer on a foreign stage — sits at the intersection of gender, nationalism, and international diplomacy in ways that continue to feel urgent. For Lalan Singh, a senior Janata Dal (United) leader and a key figure in the National Democratic Alliance government, the post is a gesture of national remembrance on the anniversary itself — 24 September, Cama's birth anniversary. The woman who stood up at Stuttgart with a flag and a demand has earned every salutation she receives today.Point of View
Including JDU, have invested heavily in reclaiming a wide range of freedom-struggle icons — particularly those whose stories cut across region, religion, and gender — as part of a broader nationalist cultural project. Bhikaji Cama, a Parsi woman who took India's cause to Europe, fits that frame especially well. For Lalan Singh personally, public commemorations of this kind reinforce JDU's positioning as a party of inclusive nationalism within the coalition. The steady drumbeat of such tributes also keeps independence-era narratives alive in a social-media environment dominated by present-day political combat.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Bhikaji Cama and why is she famous?
Bhikaji Cama (1861–1936) was an Indian revolutionary and independence activist best known for unfurling a precursor to the Indian national flag at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907 — the first time a version of India's flag was hoisted on foreign soil.
When is Bhikaji Cama's birth anniversary?
Bhikaji Cama's birth anniversary falls on 24 September. She was born on 24 September 1861 in Bombay.
What did Lalan Singh say about Bhikaji Cama?
Union Minister Lalan Singh posted a Hindi tribute on X saying: 'Respectful salutations to the great heroine of the Indian independence movement, Madam Bhikaji Cama, who was the first to hoist India's flag on foreign soil, on the occasion of her birth anniversary.'
Which flag did Bhikaji Cama unfurl in Stuttgart in 1907?
Cama unfurled a hand-crafted precursor to the Indian national flag — not the current tricolour, but an early design representing Indian independence — at the International Socialist Congress in Stuttgart, Germany, in August 1907.
Who is Lalan Singh in Indian politics?
Lalan Singh, formally Rajiv Ranjan Singh, is a senior Janata Dal (United) leader and Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in the NDA government.
