Consider the following statements about Madam Bhikaji Cama: 1. Madam Cama unfurled the National Flag at the International Socialist Conference in Paris in 1907. 2. Madam Cama served as private secretary to Dadabhai Naoroji. 3. Madam Cama was born to a Parsi. Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

Question

YESPYQ · Accepted Answer

Correct answer: 2 and 3 only. Madame Bhikaji Cama, a Parsi revolutionary who had developed contacts with French socialists worked from Paris and Geneva. She published the journal Bande Mataram. Statement 1 is incorrect: Madam Bhikaji Cama actually unfurled the first version of the Indian National Flag at the Second International Socialist Congress held in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907, not Paris. The flag was co-designed by Madam Cama, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma. The flag had green, saffron, and red stripes, with “Vande Mataram” written on it in Devanagari script, and symbols representing different communities of India. Statement 2 is correct: Madam Bhikaji Cama did serve as the private secretary to Dadabhai Naoroji, a key figure in the Indian National Congress and a prominent advocate for India’s independence. Statement 3 is correct: Bhikaji Cama was born into a wealthy Parsi family in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1861. Her father, Sorabji Framji Patel was a well-known merchant and philanthropist. 261

Practice more History PYQs

More UPSC History PYQs