Female Freedom fighters of India

 

Introduction:

India got its freedom from British Empire on 15 August 1947. The history of the Indian struggle would be incomplete without mentioning the contributions of women. So today we will discuss a list of female freedom fighters of India.♥

Many of us don’t know that there were hundreds of women who fought for freedom. When most of the men freedom fighters were in jail, that time women came forward and took charge of the struggle.

They fought with true spirit and faced various tortures and exploitation to earn us freedom. Revolutionaries faced a lot of problems During the freedom struggle. Many of them lost their lives also. No doubt, their work was a difficult one. But they were determined to march onward. India gained independence after countless sacrifices.

 

What was the reason for the freedom struggle in India?

 

1) Discontentment among the masses: After the onset of the 2nd world war, people faced a huge economic crisis. The prices of essential commodities were touching the sky. The govt didn’t pay any attention to solve this economic crisis. ↓ Similarly, when Japan captured Verma, the situation of Indians became very pathetic. The British govt. also didn’t pay proper attention to their safety. These were the reasons for the freedom struggle in India.

 

2) The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre: The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre took place on 13 April 1919 in Amritsar. On that day a large number of people gathered in Jallianwala Bagh to express their anger against the Rowlatt Act passed by the British govt. On the orders of General Dyer, the soldiers started firing on decent people.

As a result, hundreds of people died and thousands more were injured. This was also a reason for the freedom struggle. Undoubtedly the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre proved to be a milestone in the history of the Indian National independence movement.

 

3) Rowlatt Act: At that time of the first World war, the British govt. passed the defense of India act and gained many emergency powers. The rights were used to suppress the revolutionaries. The act ended after the war, but the govt was not ready to relinquish its special rights.

The govt got sir bill Rowlatt to prepare the bills. One of these bills was passed by the central legislature on 18 March 1919, known as Rowlatt Act. Under this act, Any person could be held captive without assigning any reason and could be punished without trial. He had no right to plead and appeal.

These 3 acts brought courage to Indians and created many female freedom fighters of India.

 

Famous Women freedom fighters list

 

1) Rani laxmibai( Manikarnika): she was born on Nov.19 1828. She was the Queen of Jhansi. She became the leader of the Maratha ruled state of Jhansi, after the death of her husband raja Gangadhar Rao. She boldly protested the British rule. But sadly she died on
Jun.17, 1858. ⇑

 

2) Begum Hazrat Mahal: She was born on 1820 In Faizabad. Begum Hazrat Mahal is also known as the Begum of Avadh. She was the wife of Nawab bazid Ali Shah. She led the rebels in Lucknow. She died on 27 April 1879 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

 

3) Kasturba Gandhi: She was born on April 7 1869 in Porbandar. She was the wife of Mahatma Gandhi. Kasturba first joined politics and social activism in South Africa in 1922. She participated in a non-violent, civil disobedience movement in Gujarat.

 

4) Vijaya Lakshmi pandit: She was born on August 18, 1900, in Allahabad. She was arrested and imprisoned thrice by the British in the years 1932-33 And 1942-43 in connection with the civil disobedience movement. In 1953 she became the first woman president of the UN general assembly. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit died on 1 December 1990 in Dehradun. She served as a diplomat for India.

5) Bhikaji cama: She was one of the leading figures in the Indian independence movement. She was born on 24 Sep. 1861. Her full name was Bhikaji Rustom cama. She could aptly be called “Mother India’s first cultural representative of USA.

 

Muslim female freedom fighters of India

 

1. Begum Hazrat Mahal: Begum Hazrat Mahal was a prominent woman of 1857 the rebellion. Her actual name was Muhammadi Khanum. She led the rebels in Lucknow.
2. Abadi Bano Begum: She played a constructive role in the Khilafat and non-Cooperation movement in 1919. She also guided servals Women’s organizations across India.
3. Hajara Begum: She played a vital role in organizing the unorganized labor sector. She spent her entire life in the service of the country.

 

Who were the first female freedom fighters of India?

 

Rani Abbakka chowta was the first female freedom fighter of India. She was also called “Abhaya Rani “ because of her goodness and valor, which means that “she is not afraid of anyone”.

 

Participation of women in Indian freedom struggle:-

 

1) Non-cooperation movement: Sarla Devi, Mthulaxmi reddy, Susheela Nair, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, Sucheta Kriplani, and Aruna Asaf Ali were some of the women who participated in the Indian non-violent movement. Kasturba Gandhi, Kamla Nehru, and Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit participated in the National movement.

 

2) Civil disobedience and the Dandi Salt March: For this March Sarojini Naidu was nominated by Gandhi to initiate a raid upon Dharshana salt works in May 1930. The women started their march on the path of freedom by breaking salt laws. During this movement, Kamla Devi addressed meetings, prepared salt, and boycotted foreign clothes and shops.

 

3) The Quit India movement (1942): In the quit India movement, a committed patriot Usha Mehta set up a radio transmitter called “The Voice of Freedom” to disseminate the mantra of freedom war. News of protests and Gandhiji’s famous “ Do or die” message spread to the youth with the help of radio. ♠

 

Female warriors in whole Indian history

 

1. Rani Lakshmi Bai: she’s a glorious example of patriotism. Her real name was Manikarnika but her family members used to call her Manu. She was an expert in horse riding, shooting, etc. Her brave, bold nature encouraged many warriors in later years. Unfortunately, she lost her life in the battle of Gwalior on 18 Jun 1958. But her name is thus written in the golden letters in the history of India.

2. Maharani Tarabai: Her full name was Tarabai Bhonsle.Tarabai was a woman of unparalleled enthusiasm. She fought relentlessly against the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. It was the Tarabai’s inspiration and courage that Maharathi could regain their lost power.
Rani Durgavati: She was born on the 5th of Oct.1524.Her fame spread all over due to sharpness, courage, bravery, and Beauty. She was a famous warrior of India who ruled the Gondwana region of Madhya Pradesh.

 

Sucheta Kriplani and Sarojini Naidu;

 

Sucheta Kriplani : Sucheta Kriplani was born on 25 June 1908 in Haryana. She was India’s first woman chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. She inspired many youths to enter politics. She also had to go to jail several times during the struggle. Before becoming the Chief Minister, she walked side by side with Mahatma Gandhi in the freedom struggle. She was a supporter of women’s participation in politics.

Sarojini Naidu: She was born on 13feb.1879 in Hyderabad. She is known as the “Nightingale of India. She was greatly influenced by Gandhi’s nature. In South Africa, she was Gandhiji’s ally. She considered Gopal Krishna Gokhale as her, political guru. She became the first woman Governor of the Indian State after independence.

These two were the bravest female freedom fighters of India.

 

Who was a foreign freedom fighter who fought for India?

 

Annie Besant, the British social reformer was a foreign freedom fighter who fought for India. She was an extreme supporter of Indian self-rule. While in India Annie joined the struggle for Indian home rule.

 

Movies made on Indian freedom struggle about females:

 

Manikarnika: The film is based on the life of Rani Lakshmi bai of Jhansi. It is directed by Kangna Ranaut and Radha Krishna Jagarlamundi. Kangna plays the main character of Manikarnika in it. For her excellent performance in the Manikarnika movie, she won a National Film Award for best actress in 2021. The movie was released on 25 January 2019 in 50 countries.

 

Books are written on the Indian independence movement about females:

 

1) Women in the Indian National movement (1930-94) written by Suruchi Thapar.
2) The Queen of Jhansi by Mahasweta Devi.
3) In the city of gold and silver (The story of Begum Hazrat Mahal) by Kenzie Mourad.

There are many more books written on female freedom fighters of India, but these 3 are the best. These books are available in many languages like Bengali, Marathi. Tamil, Telugu, and many more.

 

Role of women in today’s politics and army:

 

There are hardly any fields in which Women have not entered. Women are actively participating in every field whether it is the army or politics. To encourage women’s participation in politics, the govt of India has arranged 1/3 reservations for women in local bodies under the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments. Apart from this women are also taking part as representatives in the elections of parliament and the state legislature. On the other hand, if we talk about the army, women are playing a praisable role in there as well.

 

Conclusion

 

Through this article, we can conclude that India’s female freedom fighters of India were the real fighters of establishing the new India. Their freedom struggle gave a new color to India. For the independence of India all the classes came together whether rich or poor, women or men children and elders united and forced the British to leave India.

At every stage of the movement, women had used their bravery and courage from time to time to join hands with men. Hundreds and thousands of Indian women dedicated their lives to obtaining freedom for their motherland. Their role is incredible.