Independence Day: Saluting 10 Indian Women Freedom Fighters For Their Contributions

Kamala Nehra was an Indian independence activist and was actively involved in the Harilal Gandhi Movement of 1931. The Non-Cooperation movement was organised in Allahabad, now called Prayagraj, against the foreign liquor and cloth shops. 

Over time, Britishers recognised her as a powerful voice instigating Indians against them. They arrested her on several occasions. Wife to the first prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Kamala Nehru has many colleges and hospitals named after her.

Begum Hazrat Mahal was a prominent figure in India’s First War of Independence, the revolt of 1857. She was the Begum of Awadh and had worked closely with Nana Saheb and other revolutionaries. 

Rani Lakshmi Bai was the one who fought Britishers single-handedly before sacrificing her life for the country. Married to Raja Gangadhar Rao, Jhansi Ki Rani started a revolt against the colonial government trying to capture the city. Her story of courage is often sung through a poem glorifying her life.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, Usha Mehta was among the youngest freedom fighters in the country. At the age of eight, she participated in the ‘Simon Go Back’ protest. She quit her studies to be a part of the freedom struggle. She was even arrested for running radio channels against the colonial government.

Being the wife of the ‘Father of the Nation’, only a handful of people know that Kasturba Gandhi played a crucial role in leading women in the struggle to achieve independence for India. During the movement against Indigo planters, she made people aware of health, hygiene, discipline, writing and reading. Much like her husband, she raised her voice for civil rights.

Aruna Asaf Ali was a part of the Salt Satyagraha movement started by Mahatma Gandhi. She even led the Quit India Movement and fought for the rights of the prisoners in the Tihar jail. She was a woman who broke all stereotypes in her life to live her life on her te

Sarojini Naidu was called the Nightingale of India, who had a crucial part in the Civil disobedience and Quit India movement. She was the first woman to govern a state and the second woman president of the Indian National Congress. Being a prominent voice against Britishers, she was arrested many times.

Bhikaji Cama or Madam Cama was one of the first women to talk about women empowerment and equality. She led many women into the freedom struggle of India. She unfurled the very first version of the country’s flag in 1907. 

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was the first woman in the cabinet, even in the pre-independence era. She was the first woman Governor of Maharashtra and President of the United Nations General Assembly. She was a part of the Non-Cooperation Movement and Quit India Movement. 

Gulab Kaur was a woman who left behind her marriage to fight the Indian struggle for independence. She was an active participant in mobilising masses for armed revolution. She acted as a journalist, distributed arms among fighters and encouraged others to join Ghadar Party, a group fighting British rule in India.