Contribution of Women in India's struggle for Independence
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74 Orissa Review August - 2010 The entire history of the freedom movement is replete with the saga of bravery, sacrifice and political sagacity of hundreds and thousands of women of our country. Their participation in the struggle began as early as 1817 when Bhima Bai Holkar fought agaist the British Colonel Malcolm and defeated him in guerilla warfare. At a very critical time for our mother land when the British East India Company was fast expanding its empire in India, when Tipu Sultan had been eliminated (1799), the proud Marathas had been humbled (1815), Chennamma the widowed queen of Raja Malla Sarja frustrated the machinations of British to annex her kingdom Kittore, a tiny principality in the present Belgaum District of Karnataka. She fought against the mighty British army and scored initial success. No other woman warrior in the history of India has made such a powerful Role of Women in India’s Struggle For Freedom Siddhartha Dash impact on the minds of the Indian people as the Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmi Bai. She was the second wife of the ruler of Jhansi Raja Gangadhar Rao who protested against the ‘Doctrine of Lapse’. She refused to surrender Jhansi and fought bravely attired as a male during the Revolt of 1857 and died in the battle field fighting the British forces. Her courage inspired many Indians to rise against the alien rule. Another woman whom we remember in this context was Hazrat Mahal Begum. She was the wife of the deposed ruler of Lucknow who actively took part in the revolt of 1857 against the Doctrine of Lapse under which Dalhousie wanted her to surrender Lucknow. She gave stiff resistance. But after the fall of Lucknow she escaped to Kathmandu. Kasturba, the wife of Mahatma Gandhi, was one of the foremost supporters of the Gandhi’s programmes. One of the first women to be imprisoned in Transvaal, she took part in the Quit India Movement (1942) and was arrested. She died while imprisoned in Poona. Many women of Nehru family joined the freedom movement. The mother of Jawaharlal Nehru, Swarup Rani Nehru cheerfully gave her husband and children to the country’s cause and she herself, old and frail, entered the fray at its thickest. Kamala Nehru, married to Jawaharlal Nehru in 1916, participated in various movements, led the Civil Disobedience Movement. She played a prominent part in organizing the No Tax Campaign in the United Provinces (Now Uttar Pradesh). Jawaharlal Nehru’s sister Vijay Laxmi Pandit entered the Non- Cooperation Movement. She was imprisoned thrice in connection with the Civil Disobedience Movement in 1932, 1941 and 1942. In 1937 she was elected to the provincial legislature of the United Provinces and was designated minister of local self government and public health. She played an important role as India’s representative in San Francisco during the first meeting of the UN where she challenged the might of the British. She was the first woman to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly. When she was just 13 years old, Indira Gandhi organized a ‘Monkey Army’(Vanar Sena) comprising of young teenagers which proved her intention to fight for the independence of her country. She joined Congress in 1938 and was imprisoned for 13 months in 1942 by the British. She was India’s first and only female prime minister. Four generations of dedication to public causes by the Nehru family stands out as unique in the annals of history.
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Transcript of Contribution of Women in India's struggle for Independence
74
Orissa Review
August - 2010
The entire history of thefreedom movement is repletewith the saga of bravery,sacrifice and political sagacityof hundreds and thousands ofwomen of our country. Theirparticipation in the strugglebegan as early as 1817 whenBhima Bai Holkar fought agaistthe British Colonel Malcolmand defeated him in guerillawarfare. At a very critical timefor our mother land when theBritish East India Companywas fast expanding its empirein India, when Tipu Sultan hadbeen eliminated (1799), theproud Marathas had beenhumbled (1815), Chennammathe widowed queen of RajaMalla Sarja frustrated themachinations of British to annexher kingdom Kittore, a tinyprincipality in the presentBelgaum District of Karnataka.She fought against the mightyBritish army and scored initialsuccess.
No other womanwarrior in the history of Indiahas made such a powerful
Role ofWomen in
India’sStruggle For
FreedomSiddhartha Dash
impact on the minds of theIndian people as the Rani ofJhansi, Lakshmi Bai. She wasthe second wife of the ruler ofJhansi Raja Gangadhar Raowho protested against the‘Doctrine of Lapse’. Sherefused to surrender Jhansi andfought bravely attired as a maleduring the Revolt of 1857 anddied in the battle field fightingthe British forces. Her courageinspired many Indians to riseagainst the alien rule.
Another woman whomwe remember in this contextwas Hazrat Mahal Begum. Shewas the wife of the deposedruler of Lucknow who activelytook part in the revolt of 1857against the Doctrine of Lapseunder which Dalhousie wantedher to surrender Lucknow. Shegave stiff resistance. But afterthe fall of Lucknow she escapedto Kathmandu.
Kasturba, the wife ofMahatma Gandhi, was one ofthe foremost supporters of theGandhi’s programmes. One ofthe first women to beimprisoned in Transvaal, shetook part in the Quit IndiaMovement (1942) and wasarrested. She died whileimprisoned in Poona.
Many women of Nehrufamily joined the freedommovement. The mother ofJawaharlal Nehru, SwarupRani Nehru cheerfully gave herhusband and children to thecountry’s cause and she herself,
old and frail, entered the frayat its thickest. Kamala Nehru,married to Jawaharlal Nehru in1916, participated in variousmovements, led the CivilDisobedience Movement. Sheplayed a prominent part inorganizing the No TaxCampaign in the UnitedProvinces (Now UttarPradesh). Jawaharlal Nehru’ssister Vijay Laxmi Panditentered the Non- CooperationMovement. She wasimprisoned thrice in connectionwith the Civil DisobedienceMovement in 1932, 1941 and1942. In 1937 she was electedto the provincial legislature ofthe United Provinces and wasdesignated minister of local selfgovernment and public health.She played an important role asIndia’s representative in SanFrancisco during the firstmeeting of the UN where shechallenged the might of theBritish. She was the firstwoman to become thePresident of the United NationsGeneral Assembly. When shewas just 13 years old, IndiraGandhi organized a ‘MonkeyArmy’ (Vanar Sena) comprisingof young teenagers whichproved her intention to fight forthe independence of hercountry. She joined Congressin 1938 and was imprisonedfor 13 months in 1942 by theBritish. She was India’s first andonly female prime minister.Four generations of dedicationto public causes by the Nehrufamily stands out as unique inthe annals of history.
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Orissa Review
August - 2010
Sarojini Naidu holdspride of place among womenfreedom fighters of India. Shewas responsible for awakeningthe women of India. She wasfirst woman President of theIndian National Congress in1925 at the Kanpur Session. In1928, she came to the USAwith the message of the non-violence movement fromGandhiji. When in 1930,Gandhi was arrested for aprotest, Sarojini took the helmsof his movement. In 1931, sheparticipated in the Round TableSummit, along with Gandhijiand Pundit Malavyaji. She wasalso the acting President of theCongress in 1932. In 1942, shewas arrested during the ‘QuitIndia’ protest and stayed in jailfor 21 months. She was a giftedpoet of the English languageand was popularly known asthe Nightingale of India. Afterindependence, she became thefirst ever woman Governor ofan Indian State (UttarPradesh).
Aruna Asaf Ali playeda leading role during the QuitIndian Movement. Her momentof reckoning came in 1942during the Quit IndiaMovement and she rose tooccasion. She unfurled theNational Flag at the GowaliaTank maidan in Bombay tosignify the commencement ofthe Quit India Movement andbecame a legend for thousandsof youth that rose to emulateher. She became a full timeactivist in the Quit India
Movement and wentunderground to evade arrest.She edited ‘Inquilab’ a monthlyjournal of the Indian NationalCongress. She was awardedIndia’s highest civilian award,the Bharat Ratna.
Madam Bhikaji Camawas influenced by DadabhaiNaoroji and was a source ofinspiration for Indian youth inthe UK. She unfurled the firstNational Flag at theInternational SocialistConference in Stuttgart(Germany) in 1907, organizedFree India Society and beganthe journal ‘Bande Mataram’ tospread her revolutionarythought. She travelled a lot andspoke to people about IndiansStruggling for Independence.She could aptly be called“Mother India’s first culturalrepresentative of USA”.
Kalpana Dutta wasanother prominent womanrevolutionary leader who wasinfluenced by the revolutionaryidea of Surya Sen. She joinedthe Chittagong armoury raids.Later she joined the CommunistParty of India.
Rani Gaidineliu was aprominent Naga nationalistwoman leader from Manipurwho took over the movementof Naga nationalists against theBritish. Her movement wasactive during the CivilDisobedience Movement tooust the foreigners fromManipur. For her remarkable
patriotism, she received praisefrom the nationalist leaders. Shewas arrested in 1932 andreleased after IndianIndependence. “Rani of theNagas” the popular title wasbestowed upon her byJawaharlal Nehru for herinfluence and work for theNagas.
Sarojini Naidu’sdaughter Padmaja Naidudevoted herself to the cause ofthe nation like her mother. Atthe age of 21, she entered thenational scene and became thejoint founder of the IndianNational Congress ofHyderabad. She spread themessage of Khadi and inspiredpeople to boycott foreigngoods. She was jailed fortaking part in the “Quit India”movement in 1942. AfterIndependence, Padmajabecame the Governor of WestBengal. During her public lifespanning over half a century, shewas associated with the RedCross. Her service to the nationand especially her humanitarianapproach to solve problems,will long be remembered.
Sucheta Kriplani wasan ardent nationalist withsocialistic orientation. She wasa close associate of Jai PrakashNarayany who activelyparticipated in Quit IndiaMovement. This St Stephen’seducated politician sang VandeMataram in the independencesession of the ConstituentAssembly on August 15, 1947.
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Orissa Review
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She was a member ofConstituent Assembly in 1946.She was general secretary ofIndian National Congress from1958 to 1960, and ChiefMinister of Uttar Pradesh from1963 to 1967.
Raj Kumari AmritKaur was a close follower ofGandhiji from 1919 onwards.A Congress member, sheactively participated in the 1930Salt Satyagraha and the QuitIndia Movement. She becamethe first Health Minister in Post-Independent India. She was thefounder – President of IndianCouncil of Child Welfare andthe founder-member of All IndiaWomen’s Conference.
Smt KamaladeviChattopadhyay was electedPresident of the YouthCongress in December 1929and appealed to the NationalCongress leaders to declarePoorna Swaraj as their goal.On January 26, 1930,Kamaladevi captured theimagination of the entire nationwhen in a scuffle, she clung tothe Tricolor in order to protectit. Blows rained on her as shestood like a rock to protect theflag, bleeding profusely. Shegalvanized the All IndiaWomen’s Conference into adynamic movement.
Beside the hundredsand thousands of Indian womenwho dedicated their lives forIndia’s freedom, there weremany foreign women who sawin India a hope for the
redemption of the world. Afamous disciple of SwamiVivekananda, Sister Niveditawas an Irish lady named MissMargaret Nobel who arrived inIndia in January, 1898 in searchof truth. She propagated for thecause of India throughoutAmerica and Europe. Sheattended the Benares CongressSession in 1905 and supportedthe Swadeshi Movement.
Annie Besant, Irish bybirth was a staunch supporterof India’s struggle for freedom.She founded the Home RuleLeague in Madras in 1916. Shealso founded the TheosophicalSociety of India. She was thePresident (First WomanPresident) of Indian NationalCongress for one term atCalcutta in 1917. She alsoedited ‘New India’ and‘Commonwealth’. She haddone ample work to formulatefavorable opinion about theIndian question in outsideworld. Even today, Indiaremembers with gratefulnessAnnie Besant’s immeasurablework for the freedom struggle,educational advancement andsocial reforms.
Mira Alphonse,universally known as the‘Mother’ was born in Paris in1878. She came to India in1914 and met Shri Aurobindo.She was the inspirer ofAuroville, the international townnear Pandicherry. She playedan important role in motivatingwomen like Annie Besant andNellie Sen Gupta. The Mother
had also contributed to enrichIndia’s age-old heritage andculture.
Meera Behn and SarlaBehn Mahatma Gandhi’s twoEnglish daughters helped forthe cause of freedom. Born asMadeliene Slade in England,she was named Mira Behn byMahatma Gandhi. She was aclose disciple and associate ofGandhiji. She accompaniedGandhiji to Round TableConference. She did pioneeringwork for social reforms in ruralareas.
Born as KatherineMary Heilaman, she wasnamed Sarla Behn by MahatmaGandhi. She was a great socialworker. She set up an Ashramat Kausali in the Kumaon Hillsof Uttarakhand. She went fromvillage to village helping thefamilies of political prisoners.She authored a book entitled‘Reviving Our Dying Planet’.
On the auspiciousoccasion of the IndependenceDay of our country it will bemost befitting on our part to payour respectable homage to allthose brave daughters ofMother India and to thosenoble and courageous foreignwomen who fought andcontributed enormously to thesuccess of our freedomstruggle and all other nationbuilding activities.
Siddhartha Dash lives at N-4/205,IRC Village, Nayapally,Bhubaneswar-15
