Remembering the women who fought for India’s freedom

Indian women who were freedom fighters not only challenged imperialism and colonialism but also the social norms of the era, which severely restricted their agency. Along with being freedom fighters, they were also social reformers.

Here are a few such women:

Basanti Devi (1880 - 1974) - Devi jumped into the freedom struggle in 1921, after the arrest of her husband Chittaranjan Das. She participated in movements like the Khilafat movement and the civil disobedience movement. She was also one of the founding members of the Nari Karma Mandira, a centre aimed at educating women. She collected gold coins for the Tilak Swaraj Fund and shortly went to prison for selling Khadi in Kolkata. Her arrest resulted in nationwide outrage. She ran the weekly publication, Bangalar Katha, after the arrest of her husband. She headed the Bengal Provincial Congress as its President and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1973.

Ashalata Sen (1894 - 1986) - was born in Noakhali, modern Bangladesh. Her first nationalistic poem was published when she was as young as 10 years old. She also wrote the books Uchchhvas, Utsa, Vidyut and Chhotoder Chhada. She was highly inspired by Mahatma Gandhi and the non-cooperation movement.

Aruna Asaf Ali (1909 - 96) - She was born to a restaurant owner. She studied at Lahore’s Sacred Heart Convent. Aruna Asaf married a lawyer by the name of Asaf Ali, who was 23 years her senior and belonged to a different religion. After she married Asaf Ali, she was rejected by much of her family. It was her husband who defended Batukeshwar Dutt and Bhagat Singh in the Lahore Conspiracy Case. She was jailed for actively engaging during the salt satyagraha movement and remained there till 1931. She was jailed several times over the course of her lifetime. On August 9, she unfurled the Indian flag following which the British announced a reward to identify her; she had to go underground. She served as Delhi’s first mayor. In her last days, she was associated with the Communist Party of India.

Sarojini Naidu (1879 - 1949) - she wrote her first piece of work at the age of 12 titled Maher Muneer. She helped establish the Women's Indian Association (WIA) with other social reformers of her age and travelled the length and breadth of the country giving speeches to invigorate women. In 1925, she became the president of the Indian National Congress and by the 1930s, had already become a known figure recognised for fighting for the cause of freedom. She also served as the Governor of Agra and Awadh from 1947- 49.

Annie Besant (1847 - 1933) - Annie Besant was a British citizen who first visited India in 1893 and soon became involved in its Independence movement. She established the Indian Home Rule League and later served as the president of the same. She died in India in 1933.

Bhikaiji Cama (1861 - 1936) - She unfurled the first Indian tricolour on foreign land whilst in Germany. While residing in London, she became acquainted with Dadabhai Naoroji and joined the Indian National Congress. Fearing deportation, she moved from London to Paris and helped revolutionary activities from there. She helped publish the newspaper, Bande Mataram, copies of which were smuggled back into India. She was imprisoned for three years during the First World War. She was finally allowed to return to India in 1935. She died after one year of returning back to her homeland.

Lakshmi Sahgal (1914 - 2012) - the young doctor enrolled in the INA and played a key role in convincing Subhash Chandra Bose to set up an all women regiment. The regiment, called Rani Lakshmi Bai regiment, was eventually headed by Sahgal. Later, she married Colonel Prem Sahgal, who was also part of the INA and relocated to Kanpur, where she set up her medical practice. She worked actively during the Partition riots, the anti-Sikh riots, the Bhopal gas tragedy and more. By the 1970s, Sahgal had joined the CPI(M). She said, “My way of thinking was already communist, and I never wanted to earn a lot of money, or acquire a lot of property or wealth.”

Begum Hazrat Mahal (1820 - 1879 approximately) - the Begum of Oudh ruled over the city of Nawabs. After her husband, Nawab Wajid Ali was exiled to Calcutta, the reins of the city fell into the hands of the begum. She declared her son as the next Nawab and took charge of affairs, ruling as the regent for nearly 10 months. She is an iconic figure, remembered for her spirit and zeal, who put up a strong fight against the British during the 1857 revolt. She breathed her last in Nepal, where she spent her days after the revolt was crushed.

Ramadevi Choudhary (1899 - 1958) - she joined the independence movement in 1921. Highly influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, she went door to door to convince people to join the non-cooperation movement. She actively took part in the salt satyagraha and was imprisoned several times during her struggle for freedom. Even after independence, she continued to work for social causes. She set up training centres for tribals, worked for famine relief, actively protested against the emergency, and much more during the course of her lifetime.

Malati Choudhury(1904 - 98) - She studied at Rabindranath Tagore’s Visva Bharati and was deeply influenced by his ideas. She started adult-education programs with her husband, Nabakrushna Choudhury, and together the couple engaged in social activities. They actively participated in the salt satyagraha movement. Choudhury was arrested several times in her lifetimes, in 1926, 1931 and 1942. After independence, she served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. While her husband served as the Chief Minister of Orissa, she continued to pursue a lifetime of activism and social work.