As India celebrates 70 years of independence, we bring you stories of 70 women who were part of the Indian Independence Struggle. Each day till the 15th of August, we will tell you stories of courage and valour which may not be part of our history books and popular memory.
Tribal leader Rani Gaidinliu joined the freedom struggle at a young age of 13, was arrested in 1932 when she was barely 16 and was released in 1946 after having spent 14 years in prison
At a time when women were rarely allowed to step out of their homes, Tara Rani Srivastava along with her husband participated in the 1942 Quit India Movement
Begum Hazrat Mahal was one of the prominent women freedom fighters who went on to fight the British and recaptured her kingdom
Not only was Abadi Bano Begum one of the first Muslim women to participate in politics actively, she was also a revolutionary who had a strong desire to see her country free from the British rule
Azizan bai had formed a group of women who cheered for the soldiers and took care of the wounded. She also helped in collecting and distributing arms and ammunition to the soldiers
Rama Devi was a prominent freedom fighter and social reformer from Odisha
During the 1920s, Sarla Behn came in contact with Indian students in London who introduced her to Gandhi and the freedom struggle in India.
After Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru delivered the iconic ‘tryst with destiny’ speech on the eve of Independence, Sucheta Kripalani sang Vande Mataram in the same constituent assembly