Lady Freedom Fighters of India

-by Ishita Mondal

–Reading Time – 9 min Approx

“Freedom comes in three forms. The first is political emancipation from the conqueror, the second is economic [emancipation] and the third is social… India has only achieved the first”.

That is what Rev. Captain Laxmi Sehgal said about freedom. If you have not heard about her yet, let me tell you who she was. It would be wrong if we did not mention her in our discussion on lady freedom fighters of India. She was a notable freedom activist in her time. She was an officer of the Indian National Army and the Minister of Women’s Affairs of Azad Hind Fauz. The organization was developed by none other than the brave hero Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

So, it is evident that the lady freedom fighters of India were so fierce to counter, so brave to be intimidated and so inspirational to be put down. With their firm voice, they vocalize the need for freedom in colonized India. Along with their male co-freedom fighters, they took up the responsibility to free the nation from the clutches of the tyrannous British government. And why should they not do that? After all, it was women in that time who understood the pain of slavery. They realized the true meaning of freedom after overcoming the ages of Satidaha pratha, child marriage, etc.

From the real-life experience, they felt the pain of the crores of Indians who were under the rule of the British government. Hence, they came on the battlefield to fight against colonialism. From an ordinary woman, each freedom fighter was turned into a fierce image of Devi Durga, the epitome of power, perseverance and fortification. Here, find the details of the female freedom fighters of India. However, there are many and all of them are great. We will be sharing a few names only.

Lady Freedom Fighters of India – Who was the First :

As history has been subject to distortion and manipulation, it is difficult to get the actual facts about something that happened 200 years ago. Since freedom struggle in India was so spontaneous that it becomes tough to say who started it first.

Sucheta Kripalani :

However, as per the record Sucheta Kripalani and her contemporaries – Aruna Asaf Ali and Usha Mehta started it first. Sucheta was born in Ambala (Punjab) in a Bengali Brahmo family. Bramo families were known to be progressive at that time. His father, renowned Surendranath Chatterjee was a medical officer. Although she was born shy, the introverted child gradually grew the spark of nationalism within her and she joined the Indian freedom struggle.

In her book called “An Unfinished Autobiography”, she wrote about how she felt disgusted about the British, hearing about the massacre of Jalianwala Bagh. However, later she became a professor of Banaras Hindu University. She got married to J.B. Kripalani, a noteworthy figure in the history of the Indian National Congress. Sucheta participated in the Quit India Movement. She was arrested by the British as well. She worked with Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji said about her that she was “a person of rare courage and character who brought credit to Indian womanhood”.

Usha Mehta :

Her contemporaries were as I mentioned before – Usha Mehta and Aruna Asaf Ali. They were also notable lady freedom fighters of India. Usha Mehta is majorly known for organizing Congress Radio. It was a secret way of communication during the 1942 Quit India Movement. She is often considered one of the most significant yet unsung women freedom fighters. In 1998, she was awarded Padma Vibhushan.

Aruna Asaf Ali :

Aruna Asaf Ali, the ‘Grand Old Lady’ of the Independence Movement, is famous for breaking the British norms and hoisting the Indian flag in the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai during the upsurge of the Quit India Movement. She has always been rebellious in nature and thus she contributed so much to the Indian freedom struggle. In 1932 she went on a strict hunger strike in Tihar jail to protest against the ill-treatment in jail with the freedom fighters.

Aruna was arrested at the hands of the British multiple times. She actively participated in the Salt Satyagraha in 1930. After the country got independence, she focused on working for the welfare of women and society. She was posthumously honored with the prestigious award of Bharat Ratna in 1997.

As we have discussed how the women in India started the Indian freedom struggle, let’s know more about them. After the legends like Sucheta, Aruna and Usha, other women participated actively in the Indian freedom struggle in the British colonial period. If you are eager to learn about them, let’s find it here.

Lady Freedom Fighters of India : Who Hailed from Bengal:

We have already talked about the great Sucheta Kripalini, who was from Bengal. The soil of Bengal has always been honored with the footsteps of unforgettable heroes. The lady freedom fighters in Bengal are noteworthy in the history of the Indian freedom struggle. They are :

Bina Das :

She was born in 1911 and died in 1986. Being a member of a revolutionary organization named Chatri Sangha in Kolkata, she actively participated in the Indian freedom struggle. She tried to kill the British governor named Stanley Jackson. Although he was saved but the fear Bina created among the British was commendable.

In 1939, she joined the Indian Congress party and her political journey was started. She participated in Quit India Movement. Thus, the lady freedom fighter marked her presence through her indomitable activities.

Pritilata Waddedar :

The attentive student of ‘Masterda Suryasen’, the great revolutionary of Bengal Pritilata Waddedar was that indomitable spirit who fought against the British till death. In a 1932 attack, she led 15 revolutionaries to attack Pahartali European Club. It was a club that used to demean the Indians and the officers here used to call Indians derogatory names. The self-respect of the revolutionaries did not allow them to sit idly and see their inhuman activities.

So, under the guidance of Masterda Suryasen they planned the attack. The group led by Pritilata however died in encounter with British. Pritilata was about to be caught in the hands of British but she took up cyanide and surrendered herself to death. For her death was better than living a life of slavery under British capture.

Kamla Dasgupta :

Active participation and passive support were a matter of significance in the revolutionary era in India. Some fighters used to plan and participate in the battle against the British and to support them, there were passive workers who used to stay inside giving the revolutionaries information, shelter and food.

Also, they helped them to keep their arms and explosives safe. One such revolutionary figure was Kamla Dasgupta. She was a humble yet brave and simple yet witty lady whose job was to store and transfer the weapons and bombs to the revolutionaries as per requirement.

Kalpana Dutta :

Another member of Suryasen’s revolutionary group was Kalpana Dutta, who went with Pritilata during the 1932 attack. However, she saved herself from there and went underground. Later, she was found by the British one week after the attack. She was an active female freedom fighter of India who dedicated her life for the sake of her motherland. She was born in 1913 and took her last breath in 1995.

Sarojini Naidu :

She was a noteworthy Indian political activist and poet. Born in Bengal as Sarojini Chattopadhyay, she got married to Paidipati Govindarajulu Naidu at the age of 19. She has always been vocal about women’s rights. She has written many poems along with participating in political movements. She developed the Women’s Indian Association (WIA) in 1917. She joined the Indian freedom struggle during the upsurge of the partition of Bengal in 1905. She traveled across India to talk about female independence and other necessary factors.

Other than them, Matangini Hazra, Suhasini Ganguly and many other eminent figures helped in the Indian freedom struggle.

Women Freedom Fighters of India from Odisha :

When Bengal gave birth to so many devoted lady freedom fighters of India, the other states were also not far behind. The state of Odisha was popular for its brave women freedom fighters of India who sacrificed their lives for the sake of the country. Let’s know about them.

Kuntala Kumari Sabat :

She was a freedom fighter and a poet at once. Hailing from the state of Jagannathdham, she was a physician by profession. She wrote exceptional poetry imbued with the essence of patriotism and urge for a free India She encouraged the women to join the National movement under the great Gandhiji.

Sarala Devi :

Inspired by the leadership of Gandhiji, she went ahead to get into her journey of freedom struggle. As per the record, she was the first woman to join the non co-operation movement. Under the guidance of great Gopabandhu Das and Madhusudan Das, she went ahead to continue her fight against the British. So inspiring she was that she motivated her husband to join Gandhiji’s Quit India Movement leaving his profession as a lawyer.

Sarala Devi was among the first lady freedom fighters of Odisha who went into prison. She was in jail for six long months. Being a  true devotee to the motherland, she gave up all her ornaments to the Swaraj movement and decided not to wear any ornament or any kind of foreign goods. She was an active participant in the 1921 Quit India Movement.

Annapurna Maharana :

Also known as Chuni Apa, the lady was a famous face in India’s history of the independence struggle. Pandit Gopabandhu Das greatly influenced her. The lady was a member of a freedom fighters group called “Banara Sena”. She was arrested by the British in 1930 for taking part in the Salt law movement. Along with dedicating her life to the Indian freedom struggle, she worked hard to eradicate poverty, superstition and many other social evils.

Lady Freedom Fighters of India – The Tigresses of Assam :

The list of freedom fighters in India is endless. Even the names of the lady freedom fighters are many. Some of them were from Assam and other North-Eastern states in India.

Kanaklata Barua :

She was a popular name during the Quit India Movement. At just the age of 17 she joined Mrityu Bahini, the suicide squad. She was very much active in different kinds of revolutionary movements. An incident of bravery and indomitable spirit has made her famous among her contemporaries. On 20 September 1942, she went ahead to hoist the National flag with a troop of villagers. However, at that time she died by the firing of the police.

Rani Gaidinliu :

She led a religious reform movement to be a freedom movement. The name of the movement was Hearka religious movement. Under her guidance, the ladies from her area got inspired and participated in the Indian freedom movement. She motivated people not to pay British taxes. Also, she worked hard to develop a sense of nationalism among people. She was imprisoned but did not give up. Later, she was attributed with the title of “Rani” by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Before You Go : The Love for the Motherland Continues

So, these were the ladies who took part in Indian Freedom struggles. With their indomitable spirit and fierce activities, the lady freedom fighters of India maintained the legacy of Indian womanhood. Grace and fire went in parallel here. And the process is still going on. We are free from British capture. But there is innumerable social-political bondage left in the society. Today’s ladies are working on getting rid of them and gift us a truly free India.

-by Ishita Mondal

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