True to the words of Jane Austen who quoted , " I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives." These amazing women grabbed each and every opportunity, and shined bright.
Women in battlefield:
When at a time , princesses and queens were merely dolled up, these women chose a different path and arose as leaders.
Velu nachiyar was among the first to demonstrate agitations against the British. Not only did she go down in the pages of history for conducting the first suicidal bombings against the colonisers , but also as a great warrior , who impressed Hyder Ali with her sheer courage and perseverance.
Bhima Bai Holkar, belonging to the brave Holkars of Indore, excelled in guerilla warfare. As her name itself says Bhima - brave, she suppressed the British advancement into the Holkar territories.
Kittur Rani chinnamma, staged an armed rebellion against the British to protect her territory from annexation by doctrine of lapse and later imprisoned. Still now , she is celebrated as a heroic figure in erstwhile Karnataka and the Kittur Utsav is being celebrated in her memory.
Women in the great revolt:
Drawing her inspiration from Bhima Bai Holkar, the Rani of Jhansi, was one among the efficient leaders of the Great revolt. From a very young age , she mastered archery and other skills. Though she was defeated by Hugh Rose, she metamorphsed the course of the battle and also inspired women in the years to come.
Begum Hazrat Mahal posed a big threat to the British. William Rusell, a reporter at The Times in 1858, quoted that the Begum had excited all in Oudh , encouraged her subjects to actively participate in the revolt. She prepared the modus operandi for the battle and put up a tough resistance for the British. Till her last breath, she refused to submit to the British inspite of the promises made by them.
Women in Indian Independence movement:
There are a lot women, whose legacy have been unheard of. Moolmati, the mother of Ram Prasad Bismil, showed valiant stances in the Freedom struggle and portrayed a different version of motherhood. When Ram Prasad Bismil, a revolutionary was hanged by the British, Moolmati exclaimed she was proud of her son and let her another son to participate in the struggle.
Gaidinliu, a Naga tribe, fought incessantly against the Britishers, who exploited the tribal community with high revenue taxes and cheap labour. After her imprisonment for 14 years, she strived hard for the upliftment of tribes. This earned her the name ,"Rani Gaidinliu - daughter of the hills", from Nehru.
There were a lot of women who were revolutionaries and chose the path of rebellion to achieve independence.
Bina das, who on the day of her graduation, fired shots at the Governor of Bengal, Stanley Jackson and underwent a rigid imprisonment. Right from a young age she resisted the colonisation and looking upon SC Bose as her role model, she actively involved in revolutionary movement and was in the forefront of Freedom struggle in Bengal.
Aruna Asaf Ali , went underground for years to escape her arrest for hoisting the Tricolour and actively involved in politics, women rights and other social issues throughout her life.
Lakshmi Sahgal , a doctor by profession, enthused with SC Bose's ideas, vigorously involved with the INA and continuously voiced out for women rights even on her deathbed.
Women were also inspired by Gandhian ideals and clinged to them lifelong.
“Where is the other half of Egypt? I see only men who represent half the country! Where are the mothers? Where are the sisters? You must not forget that the hands that rock cradles also build persons”, a line from the famous speech of Madame Bhikaji Cama, who saw women as capable leaders-in-making and encouraged them to participate in the Freedom struggle. It is very much intriguing that, she was an important figure in the struggle, but she did this all away from the Indian soil. She was a great orator and participated in world conferences, talking about India's struggle for freedom.
"This is congress radio, somewhere in India", must have troubled the British a lot. Usha Mehta, ran an underground congress radio setup against the British All India Radio.She had to make personal financial sacrifices to keep up the radio going. She later said that, "A transmitter of our own was perhaps one of the most important requirements for the success of the movement" .
Gandhi was deeply inspired by Thillaiyaadi Valliamai's sacrifice. Being at a tender age of 15, she defied all the odds and fought against apartheid and the troubles of indentured labour in South Africa.
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay, was the most important figure in reviving Indian handicrafts and other cultural forms. She founded the Indian National theatre to revive theatre arts and helped in forming the Indian handicrafts board.
Sarojini Naidu , a well known name in the Independence movement, was an accomplished poetess. British philosopher and author Aldous Huxley wrote, " If all Indian politicians are like Mrs. Naidu, then the country is fortunate indeed.” She brought in more women participants in the Independence movement and was at the forefront in civil disobedience movement.
Rukimini Lakshmipati, was jailed for taking part in the Vedaranyam salt Satyagraha. She was greatly inspired by Sarojini Naidu and went on to become the first woman health minister of Tamil Nadu and advocated Ayurveda and other indigenous health systems. She joined hands with noted tamil literarian Kothainayaki ammal in the freedom struggle.
South India's Jhansi Rani was the title given to Anjalai ammal by Gandhi for her vigorous participation in the freedom movement. She also became the first women to involve in the non- cooperation movement from the south and sold all her properties and belongings to spend it for the freedom struggle.
Women in shaping the society:
A woman of many firsts - Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy, earned huge respect from Gandhi , for her continuous fight against the evil devadasi system. Founder of the renowned Adayar cancer institute, she was an ardent activist for women and children rights , and fought for the Freedom cause alongside Sarojini Naidu and Annie Beasant .
The self respect movement in the south saw several women leaders coming out of their comfort zone . Nagammal, kannammal, Alarmelmangai thaayammal and Dr. Dharmambal to name a few. They sought gender equality and justice to not only women , but for the oppressed people from all walks of life.
Surpassing the hurdles :
We can say that the present society has been moulded by these women warriors. All of them, broke the barriers of the conservative Indian mindset. They championed intercaste marriages, widow remarriages, women education, gender equality and several other rights. Some led a life of example for their ideals, thus setting a role model for the younger generation.
All these women , were educated . Some, exceptionally well versed. But yet, in present era India's female literacy rate is only 53.7%, creating a gender literacy gap of 21.6% in comparison with the males.
True to the words of Ambedkar ,
"We shall see better days soon and our progress will be accelerated if male education is persuaded side by side with female education”, female literacy will create more dynamic leaders. Remembering and honouring all the fearless women would not suffice. Rather , holding on to their high virtues and following it , could change the course of our lives.
PS: This is my attempt in writing an essay, for women's day, remembering the unheard sheroes...Thank you for reading it till the end... Even if you didn't, it's ok 😜😜 Thank you for visiting my blog 😉😉
(This contains 20+ Indian women personalities all in one write-up.)
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