Paris Indian Society
Encyclopedia
The Paris Indian Society was an Indian nationalist organisation
founded in 1905 at Paris
under the patronage of Madam Bhikaji Rustom Cama, B.H. Godrej and S. R. Rana
. The organisation was opened as a branch of the Indian Home Rule Society
founded that same year in London
under the patronage of Shyamji Krishna Varma
.
The Paris Indian Society also saw active participation from Indian nationalists who at various times were associated with the India House
during its short existence. This included Virendranath Chattopadhyaya
, Har Dayal
, M.P.T. Acharya and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
. Other prominent Indians associated with the society included P.O. Mehta, H.M. Shah, P.C. Varma and a number of other prominent Indians in Paris at the time. The Paris Indian Society, under the strong leadership of Madam Cama, developed close links with the Socialist Party
and Russian socialists in exile in Paris, and Cama herself attended the Socialist Congress of the Second International
at Stuttgart
in 1907, where seconded by Henry Hyndman
, she demanded recognition of selfrule for India. It was at this congress that Cama famously unfurled one of the first Flag of India
.
Following the liquidation of the India House
in the wake of Curson Wyllie
's assassination in 1909 by Madanlal Dhingra, the PIS became the refuge and hub of Indian revolutionaries who fled England. The Paris Indian Society at this time grew to be one of the most powerful Indian organisations outside India at the time, and grew to initiate contacts with not only French Socialists, but also those in continental Europe. It sent delegates at this time to the International Socialist Congress in August 1910. At the time of V.D. Savarkar's rearrest at Marseilles following his escape during deportation from England, this socialist network was successfully able to exert pressure on the French government to press for Savarkar's extradition to France before the International Tribunal at Hague ruled in favour of Britain. In Paris, the Indian Society also held regular meetings and sought to train its members in skills necessary for revolution, which included training in firearms, learning military tactics, as well as organising the publication of revolutionary literature. It also sent recruits other countries and, after training, some were sent back to India to carry on propaganda work The Paris Indian Society produced the Bande Mataram
from 1909, and Madam Cama later financed the Talvar
to be produced in Berlin.
Indian nationalism
Indian nationalism refers to the many underlying forces that molded the Indian independence movement, and strongly continue to influence the politics of India, as well as being the heart of many contrasting ideologies that have caused ethnic and religious conflict in Indian society...
founded in 1905 at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
under the patronage of Madam Bhikaji Rustom Cama, B.H. Godrej and S. R. Rana
S. R. Rana
Sardar Singh Rewabhai Rana , often abbreviated 'S.R. Rana', was an Indian political activist, founding member of the Paris Indian Society and the vice-president of the Indian Home Rule Society....
. The organisation was opened as a branch of the Indian Home Rule Society
Indian Home Rule Society
The Indian Home Rule Society was an Indian organisation founded in London in 1905 that sought to promote the cause of self-rule in British India. The organisation was founded by Shyamji Krishna Varma, with support from a number of prominent Indian nationalists in Britain at the time, including...
founded that same year in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
under the patronage of Shyamji Krishna Varma
Shyamji Krishna Varma
Shyamji Krishna Varma was an Indian revolutionary, lawyer and journalist who founded the Indian Home Rule Society, India House and The Indian Sociologist in London. A graduate of Balliol College, Krishna Varma was a noted scholar in Sanskrit and other Indian languages...
.
The Paris Indian Society also saw active participation from Indian nationalists who at various times were associated with the India House
India House
India House was an informal Indian nationalist organisation based in London between 1905 and 1910. With the patronage of Shyamji Krishna Varma, its home in a student residence in Highgate, North London was launched to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britain...
during its short existence. This included Virendranath Chattopadhyaya
Virendranath Chattopadhyaya
Virendranath Chattopadhyaya alias Chatto was a prominent Hindu Indian revolutionary who aimed to overthrow the British Raj in India by using violence as a tool...
, Har Dayal
Har Dayal
Lala Har Dayal was a Indian nationalist revolutionary who founded the Ghadar Party in America. He was a polymath who turned down a career in the Indian Civil Service...
, M.P.T. Acharya and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
Vināyak Dāmodar Sāvarkar was an Indian freedom fighter, revolutionary and politician. He was the proponent of liberty as the ultimate ideal. Savarkar was a poet, writer and playwright...
. Other prominent Indians associated with the society included P.O. Mehta, H.M. Shah, P.C. Varma and a number of other prominent Indians in Paris at the time. The Paris Indian Society, under the strong leadership of Madam Cama, developed close links with the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
and Russian socialists in exile in Paris, and Cama herself attended the Socialist Congress of the Second International
Second International
The Second International , the original Socialist International, was an organization of socialist and labour parties formed in Paris on July 14, 1889. At the Paris meeting delegations from 20 countries participated...
at Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
in 1907, where seconded by Henry Hyndman
Henry Hyndman
Henry Mayers Hyndman was an English writer and politician, and the founder of the Social Democratic Federation and the National Socialist Party.-Early years:...
, she demanded recognition of selfrule for India. It was at this congress that Cama famously unfurled one of the first Flag of India
Flag of India
The National flag of India is a horizontal rectangular tricolour of deep saffron, white and India green; with the Ashok Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, in navy blue at its centre. It was adopted in its present form during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly held on 22 July 1947, when it became the...
.
Following the liquidation of the India House
India House
India House was an informal Indian nationalist organisation based in London between 1905 and 1910. With the patronage of Shyamji Krishna Varma, its home in a student residence in Highgate, North London was launched to promote nationalist views among Indian students in Britain...
in the wake of Curson Wyllie
William Hutt Curzon Wyllie
Sir William Hutt Curzon Wyllie KCIE was an Indian army officer, and later an official of the British Indian Government. Over a career spanning three decades, Curzon Wyllie rose to be Lieutant Colonel in the British Indian Army and occupied a number of administrative and diplomatic posts...
's assassination in 1909 by Madanlal Dhingra, the PIS became the refuge and hub of Indian revolutionaries who fled England. The Paris Indian Society at this time grew to be one of the most powerful Indian organisations outside India at the time, and grew to initiate contacts with not only French Socialists, but also those in continental Europe. It sent delegates at this time to the International Socialist Congress in August 1910. At the time of V.D. Savarkar's rearrest at Marseilles following his escape during deportation from England, this socialist network was successfully able to exert pressure on the French government to press for Savarkar's extradition to France before the International Tribunal at Hague ruled in favour of Britain. In Paris, the Indian Society also held regular meetings and sought to train its members in skills necessary for revolution, which included training in firearms, learning military tactics, as well as organising the publication of revolutionary literature. It also sent recruits other countries and, after training, some were sent back to India to carry on propaganda work The Paris Indian Society produced the Bande Mataram
Bande Mataram (Paris publication)
For other uses of the term Bande Mataram, see Bande Mataram .The Bande Mataram was a nationalist publication from Paris begun in September 1909 by the Paris Indian Society...
from 1909, and Madam Cama later financed the Talvar
Talvar
Madan's Talwar, later known as The Talvar, was an early-20th century Indian Nationalist periodical published from Berlin.Originally named after Madan Lal Dhingra, one of the heroes of the Indian independence movement who had been executed for the political assassination of William Hutt Curzon...
to be produced in Berlin.
Further reading
- Bose, Arun. Indian Revolutionaries Abroad, 1905-1922. 1971. Bharati Bhawan.