Women Freedom Fighters
National Movement · महिला स्वतंत्रता सेनानी
📋Quick Overview
Women played a vital and often unrecognised role in India's freedom struggle. From the battlefields of 1857 to the salt marches of 1930, from the underground activities of 1942 to the diplomatic front — women contributed at every level. Leaders like Rani Lakshmibai, Sarojini Naidu, Aruna Asaf Ali, Kasturba Gandhi, and Vijayalakshmi Pandit became icons of courage and sacrifice that inspired generations.
⭐
Sarojini Naidu was called 'Nightingale of India' for her poetry. She was the first Indian woman to become President of INC (1925, Kanpur session) and also the first woman Governor of an Indian state (Uttar Pradesh, 1947).
📖Major Women Freedom Fighters — Profile Table
| Name | Title/Known As | Key Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Rani Lakshmibai | 'Mardani' of Jhansi; 'Jhansi Ki Rani' | Led 1857 revolt at Jhansi; died fighting British June 18, 1858 at Gwalior; immortalised by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan's poem 'Khoob Ladi Mardani' |
| Sarojini Naidu | 'Nightingale of India' | Poet; first woman INC president (1925 Kanpur); Dandi march; first woman Governor of Indian state (UP 1947); called 'Lady with the Lamp of India' |
| Kasturba Gandhi | 'Ba' | Gandhi's wife; participated in South Africa satyagrahas + Champaran + Non-cooperation + all major movements; died February 22, 1944 in Aga Khan Palace, Pune (jail) |
| Aruna Asaf Ali | 'Grand Old Lady of Freedom Movement' | Unfurled INC flag at Gowalia Tank Aug 8, 1942; underground during Quit India; Delhi's first Mayor (1958); Bharat Ratna 1997 (posthumous) |
| Vijayalakshmi Pandit | Nehru's sister | First woman President of UN General Assembly (1953); India's Ambassador to USSR + USA + UK; first woman to hold Cabinet post in India (1937, UP) |
| Matangini Hazra | 'Gandhi Buri' (Old Gandhi Woman) | Shot dead by British police while holding Congress flag, Tamluk, Bengal, September 29, 1942 — age 73; cried 'Vande Mataram' till death |
| Lakshmi Sahgal | 'Captain Lakshmi' | Led Rani of Jhansi Regiment (women's unit of INA); surgeon by profession; later ran medical camps; Presidential candidate 2002 |
📖More Notable Women in Freedom Struggle
- •Begum Hazrat Mahal — led 1857 revolt in Lucknow; wife of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah; refused British pension; fled to Nepal
- •Annie Besant — Irish, founded Home Rule League (1916) with Tilak; first woman INC president (1917, Calcutta) — though she was foreign-born
- •Sucheta Kriplani — participated in Quit India Movement underground; later first woman Chief Minister of UP (1963–67)
- •Kamala Nehru — Jawaharlal Nehru's wife; participated in Civil Disobedience Movement; died 1936 (tuberculosis)
- •Usha Mehta — ran secret Congress Radio during Quit India Movement (1942) from underground; only 22 years old