New Delhi, Jan. 27 -- Gujarat's tableau at the 77th Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path presented a chronological account of the evolution of the Indian National Flag, drawing on historical milestones of the freedom movement. The tableau aligned with the official theme, "Swatantrata Ka Mantra: Vande Mataram," and coincided with the 150th anniversary of the song Vande Mataram.

The tableau foregrounded the role of Bhikhaiji Cama, a freedom fighter born in Navsari, Gujarat, who is associated with an early version of the Indian flag bearing the inscription Vande Mataram. A sculptural depiction showed Cama holding the flag she unfurled in Paris in 1907, an event widely referenced as an early assertion of Indian nationalism on foreign soil. T...