The first name that comes
to mind is that of the famous Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Dressed in men’s
clothes, she led her soldiers to war against the British. Even her enemies
admired her courage and daring. She fought valiantly and although beaten
she refused to surrender and fell as a warrior should, fighting the enemy
to the last. Her remarkable courage inspired many men and women in India
to rise against the alien rule.
3. SAROJINI NAIDU
The other remarkable woman
elected to the presidentship Indian National Congress was Sarojini Naidu.
She became its president.dramatic meeting with another respected leader
of time, Gokhle, in 1906 was to change her life forever. His response to
her fiery speech brought into her life the impact of a visionary who saw
in her oratory and brilliance a leader of the future.
The period from 1917 to
1919 was the most dynamic phase of Sarojini's career. During this time,
she campaigned for the Montagu Chelmsford Reforms, the Khilafat issue,
the draconian Rowlett Act and the Satyagraha. When Gandhi launched the
Civil Disobedience Movement ,she proved a faithful lieutenant. With great
courage she quelled the rioters, sold proscribed literature, addressed
frenzied meetings on the carnage at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar.In 1930
when Mahatma Gandhi chose her to lead the Salt Satyagraha the stories of
her courage became legion. After Gandhi's arrest she had prepared 2,000
volunteers under the scorching sun to raid the Dahrsana Salt Works, while
the police faced them half a mile up the road with rifle, lathis (canes)
are steel tipped clubs. The volunteers wildly cheered when she shook off
the arm of the British police officer who came to arrest her and marched
proudly to the barbed wire stockade where she was interned before being
imprisoned.
Freedom struggle was in
full force and she came under the influence of Gopalakrishna Gokhale
and Gandhi. Gokhale advised her to spare all her energy and talents for
nation's cause. She gave up writing poetry and fully devoted herself to
emancipation of women, education, Hindu-Muslim unity etc. She became a
follower of Gandhiji and accompanied him to England. Whenever in England,
she openly criticized British rule in India which caught the attention
of scholars and intellectuals.
4.KASTURBA GANDHI
Kasturba Gandhi, Mahatma
Gandhi's wife joined her husband while he was in South Africa and worked
with him for many years there. She was a leader of Women's Satyagraha for
which she was imprisoned. She helped her husband in the cause of Indigo
workers in Champaran, Bihar and the No Tax Campaign in Kaira, Gujarat.
She was arrested twice for picketing liquor and foreign cloth shops, and
in 1939 for participating in the Rajkot Satyagraha.
6.ARUN ASAF ALI
Arun Asaf Ali, a radical
nationalist played an outstanding role in the historic Quit India Movement
launched by Mahatma Gandhi on August 9, 1942, and was a prominent leader
of the underground movement. She published bulletins, went from place to
place and even met Mahatma Gandhi avoiding arrest. She edited Inqulab a
monthly journal of the Indian National Congress.
7.Indira Gandhi
The most remarkable of women
in modern India’s was Indira Gandhi who from her early years was active
in the national liberation struggle. During the 1930 movement, she formed
the ‘Vanar Sena’. A children’s brigade to help freedom fighters.
She became a member of the
Indian National Congress in 1938. Soon after her return to India in March
1941, she plunged into political activity.
Her public activity entered
a new phase with India’s Independence in 1947. She took over the responsibility
of running the Prime Minister’s House. The Congress, which had been her
political home ever since her childhood, soon drew her into leading political
roles, first as member of the Congress Working Committee in 1955 and later
as member of the Central Parliamentary Board in 1958. In 1959, she was
elected President of the Indian National Congress. She oriented Congress
thinking and action towards basic issues confronting Indian society and
enthused the younger generation the task of nation-building.
In the eventful years of
her leadership as Prime Minister, Indian society underwent profound changes.
She was unremitting in her endeavour for the unity and solidarity of the
nation. A staunch defender of the secular ideals of the Constitution, she
worked tirelessly for the social and economic advancement of the minorities.
She had a vision of a modern self-reliant and dynamic economy. She fought
boldly and vigorously against communalism, obscurantism, re-vivalism and
religious fundamentalism of all types. She repeatedly warned the nation
that communalism and obscuranatism were the tools employed by the forces
of destabilization. She laid down her life in defence of the ideals on
which the unity and integrity of the Republic are founded. The martyrdom
of Mahatma Gandhi and Indira Gandhi for upholding the unity of India will
reverberate across the centuries.
Rarely in history has one
single individual come to be identifie do totally with the fortunes of
a country. She became the indomitable symbol of India’s self-respect and
self-confidence. Death came to her when she was at her peak, when her stature
and influence were acclaimed the world over
8.KAMLA NEHRU AND VIJAYALAXMI
PANDIT
Many women of the Nehru
family too had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement. Kamala Nehru, Jawaharlal
Nehru's wife gave full support to her husband in his desire to work actively
for the freedom struggle. In the Nehru hometown of Allahabad she organized
processions, addressed meetings and led picketing of liquor and foreign
cloth shops. She played a prominent part in organizing the No Tax Campaign
in United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh).
Jawaharlal Nehur's sister
Vijayalakshmi Pandit inspired by Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi and impressed
by Sarojini Naidu entered the Non Cooperation Movement. She was arrested
in 1932 and sent to and sentenced to one year's rigorous imprisonment.
She was arrested in 1940, and yet again during the Quit India Movement.
She attended the Pacific Relations Conference at Hot Springs, U.S.A. as
leader of the Indian delegation sponsored by the Indian Council of World
Affairs. She was present in San Francisco when the U.N first met there,
and through numerous well attended public lectures she challenged the British
dominated delegates rights to represent India therein.Sister of Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru also played a great role in the freedom movement. She
was elected to Uttar Pradesh Assembly in 1936 and in 1946. She was the
first woman in India to hold a ministerial rank. She was imprisoned thrice
for taking part in the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1932. 1941 and 1942.
After Independence, she continued to serve the country. She was the first
woman to become president of the United Nations General Assembly.
9.MADAM CAMA
"This flag is of Indian
Independence! Behold, it is born! It has been made sacred by the blood
of young Indians who sacrificed their lives. I call upon you, gentlemen
to rise and salute this flag of Indian Independence. In the name of this
flag, I appeal to lovers of freedom all over the world to support this
flag." -- B. Cama , Stuttgart, Germany, 19she unfurled the first National
Flag at the International Socialist Conference in Stuttgart (Germany) in
1907. A thousand representatives from several countries were attending.
An Indian lady in a colorful sari was a rare phenomena in those days and
her majestic appearance and brave and clear words made everybody think
that she was a Maharani or at least a princess from a native state.
The tricolor-flag Madam
Cama unfurled had green, saffron, and red stripes. Red represented strength,
saffron victory, and green stood for boldness and enthusiasm. there were
eight lotuses representing the eight provinces and flowers represented
princely states. "Vande Mataram" in Devanagari adorned central saffron
stripe which meant "salutation to Mother India." The sun and the moon indicated
Hindu and Muslim faiths. The flag was designed by Veer Savarkar with the
help of other revolutionaries. After Stuttgart, Madam went to United States.
She traveled a lot and informed Americans about Indians struggling for
Independence. She told about British efforts to smother the voice of educated
Indians who protested against tyranny and despotism of British who always
boasted themselves as "mother of parliamentary democracy" over the world!
She could be called "Mother India's first cultural representative to USA."Where
is the Flag Now?
The flag was smuggled into
India by Indulal Yagnik, the socialist leader of Gujarat. It is now on
public display at the Maratha and Kesari Library in Pune
10.BEGUM HAZRAT MAHAL
Begum Hazrat Mahal, the Begaum
of Oudh. She took active part in the defence of Lucknow against the British.
Although, she was queen and used to a life of luxury, she appeared on the
battle-field herself to encourage her troops. Begam Hazrat Mahal held out
against the British with all her strength as long as she could. Ultimately
she had to give up and take refuge in Nepal.
11.Padmaja Naidu
Sarojini’s daughter Miss
Padmaja Naidu devoted herself to the cause of Nation like her mother. At
the age of 21, she entered the National scene and became the joint founder
of the Indian National Congress of Hyderabad. She spread the message of
Khadi and inspired people to boycott foreign goods. She was jailed for
taking part in the “Quit India” movement in 1942. After Independence, she
became the Governor of West Bengal. During her public life spanning over
half a century, she was associated with the Red Cross. Her services to
the Nation and especially her humanitarian approach to solve problems will
long be remembered.
12.Sucheta Kripalani
The contribution of Sucheta
Kripalani in the struggle for freedom is also worthy of note. She courted
imprisonment for taking part in freedom struggle. She was elected as a
member of Constituent Assembly in 1946. She was general secretary of Indian
National Congress from 1958 to 1960, and Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh
from 1963 to 1967. Sucheta Kripalani was in the words of Shrimati Indira
Gandhi, “a person of rare courage and character who brought credit to Indian
womanhood.”
FOREIGN WOMEN IN THE INDEPENDENCE
MOVEMENT OF INDIA
Besides the hundreds and
thousands of Indian women who dedicated their lives for the cause of their
motherland, there were a number of noble and courageous foreign women who
saw in India - its religion, its philosophy and its culture, a hope for
the redemption of the world. They thought that in India’s spiritual death
shall world find its grave.
These noble women were sick
of the material west and found in India and in its civilization, solace
for their cramped souls.
Sister Nivedita
Sister Nivedita was one
among the host of foreign women who were attracted towards Swami Vivekananda
and Hindu philosophy. Born in Ireland on 28 October 1867, she arrived in
India in January, 1898, in search of truth. She was impressed by the ideals
of Womanhood in India. She once remarked that India was the land of great
women. She, however, felt that Indian women needed, to cultivate among
themselves a wider and broader concept of the nation, so that they could
participate along with men in building a free and strong nation.She propagated
for the cause of India throughout America and Europe. Swami Vivekananda
described her as a real Lioness. Rabindranath Tagore regarded her as Lok-Mata
and Aurobindo Ghosh as Agni-sikha.
The Mother
She took charge of Ashram
in Pondicherry in 1926. She was the inspirer of Auroville, the international
town near Pondicherry. It was to serve as a meeting place for the followers
of Shri Aurobindo.
Paying her tribute to the
Mother at a women’s gathering in Kanpur the late Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira
Gandhi said: “The Mother was a dynamic lady, who came from France and adopted
the Indian culture. She played an important role in motivating women like
Mrs. Annie Besant and Mrs. Nellie Sen Gupta, The Mother had also contributed
to enrich India’s age-old heritage and culture”.
ANNIE BESANT
Annie Besant an Irish lady
became the leader of the of the Theosophical Society. In 1902 while in
London she criticized England for the conditions prevalent in India. In
1914 she joined the Indian National Congress and gave it a new direction.
The idea of the Home Rule
League was first discussed by her. She with the radical congress leader
Tilak presented a memorial to Montagu on December 18, 1917 which gave equal
rights to women in the matters of political franchise. She was the first
woman president of the Congress and gave a powerful lead to women's movement
in India.
MEERA BEN AND SARLA BEN
Meera Ben and Sarla Ben
popularly known as Mahatama Gandhi's two English daughters also made significant
contribution to the cause of freedom.
Meera Ben whose real name
was Madeleine Slade attended the second Round Table Conference with Gandhi.
She sent news releases concerning Gandhi's campaign to the world press
for which she was repeatedly threatened by the government, but she continued
her work. She undertook Khadi tour throughout the country. She was arrested
for entering the city of Bombay in violation of the government order. Catherine
Mary Heilman or Sarla Ben as she was better known, went from village to
village helping the families of political prisoners.
