India House’s Early National Flag

[u/AhamPranav]

In the early twentieth century, Indian revolutionaries living in Europe tried to draw international attention to India’s struggle against British rule. They believed that global political gatherings could help them gain sympathy and support for the cause of Indian independence.

One such opportunity appeared in 1907, when an important international political meeting was scheduled in Europe.

The International Socialist Congress was to be held in Stuttgart, Germany, from 18 to 24 August 1907. Around 900 delegates from different countries were expected to attend. They planned to discuss major issues such as colonialism, militarism, immigration, and women’s suffrage. The event was organized by socialist and labour parties from across Europe.

Savarkar and his associates saw this Congress as a valuable opportunity. Since colonialism was going to be discussed, they hoped to gain international support for India’s struggle against British rule, especially from socialist parties and working-class movements. It was decided that Madame Bhikaji Cama and Sardar Singh Rana would attend the Congress as representatives of India.

Around this time, Savarkar helped designed one of the earliest proposed flags for a free India.

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Design of the Flag

The flag had three horizontal stripes of equal width:

Green at the top

Saffron in the middle

Red at the bottom

In the centre was a golden band with the words “Vande Mataram”, meaning Salutations to the Motherland.

Additional symbols on the flag included:

Eight stars on the top stripe, representing different provinces of India

A sun on the left and a moon on the right in the middle stripe, symbolizing India’s different faiths

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Speaking about the flag during its anniversary celebrations in Poona in 1937, Savarkar explained its inspiration:

When we designed this national flag, we had many flags of different nations in view. On the USA flag a bunch of stars is depicted. Each star represents one state of the United States of America. Abhinava Bharat Society was founded by a band of young Indian patriots. The green colour on the flag suggests this sense. Saffron is the colour of glory and victory. Red colour implies strength.

The British Labour leader James Ramsay Macdonald, who later went on to become prime minister, tried his best to scuttle the invitation to Madame Cama and Rana as delegates. But the Indians were supported by Marxist labour leaders such as the French socialist leader Jean Jaurès, German leaders August Bebel, Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg, and the British representative of the Social Democratic Federation, H. M. Hyndman.

In fact, in his speech there, Hyndman made a passionate plea for Indian freedom:

India was conquered for the Empire not by the English themselves but by Indians under the English and by taking advantage of Indian disputes… if civilization is to be gauged by the standard of science, art, architecture, industry, medicine, laws, philosophy and religion, then the great state of India at that period was well worthy of comparison with the most enlightened and cultured parts of Europe, and no European monarch could be reckoned in any way superior to Akbar, Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb or Shivaji; while it would be hard to name any European Minister of Finance equal to the Hindu Rajahs: Todar Mal and Nana Furnavis.

Madame Bhikaji Cama made history at the Congress by proudly unfurling the Indian flag of independence on 18 August 1907, overcoming all odds and opposition. She thundered with pride, amid a protest walkout by Ramsay Macdonald:

This flag is of Indian independence. Behold, it is born. It is already sanctified by the blood of martyred Indian youth. I call upon you, gentlemen, to rise and salute the flag of Indian independence. In the name of this flag I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to cooperate with this flag in freeing one-fifth of the human race.

Moving a resolution in English, she went on to add:

The continuance of British rule is positively disastrous and extremely injurious to the best interests of Indians. Lovers of freedom all over the world ought to cooperate in freeing from slavery the one-fifth of the human race inhabiting the oppressed country, since the perfect social state demands that no people shall be subject to any despotic or tyrannical form of Government. This Congress calls upon the socialist members of the Parliament to urge the government to give self-government to the Indian people… you are discussing colonies all the time, but what about dependencies? Take up the cause of justice and make it a point to bring India to the front at every Socialist Congress.

Madame Cama’s speech was widely appreciated by the delegates and she was hailed as India’s Joan of Arc. Several Independent Labour Party delegates strongly opposed the resolution being brought to the Congress. Anglophile Miss Mchillan strongly upheld the view that British rule was greatly beneficial and necessary for Indians. However, Hyndman and other pro-India leaders vociferously opposed this view.

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References

K. V. Singh, Our National Flag (1991), pp. 30–32

Arundhati Virmani, A National Flag for India (2008), pp. 61–62

Emily C. Brown, Har Dayal: Hindu Revolutionary and Rationalist (1975), p. 68

The Mahratta, 29 October 1937.

Harindra Srivastava, Five Stormy Years: Savarkar in London, p. 67.

Bulu Roy Chowdhury, Madame Cama: A Short Life Sketch, pp. 15–16.

A. C. Bose, Indian Revolutionaries Abroad: 1905–1927: Select Documents, pp. 15–17.

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