ROLE OF WOMEN IN NATIONAL MOVEMENT

Introduction:-
In the pages of history, when we talk about India's slavery and freedom

struggle, the names of male leaders often come first, but the contribution of women

in this struggle was also not less. They rose above their family, social and religious

responsibilities and served the nation. According to historian Dr. Siddharth

Das:-

"Not only men but women also played their important

role in the freedom struggle to make India for free".

Indian women not only participated in national movements but also played

an important role in spreading social and educational awareness. They demanded

the right to education for women. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth

centuries, women participated in many freedom struggles on a large scale. They

showed their bravery through rallies, demonstrations, sloganeering and boycott of

foreign goods in public places. According to Dr. Siddharth Das:-

"The contribution made by women in India's freedom

struggle can never be forgotten."

Through these efforts, they not only fought against the British rule, but also

made other women aware and included them in the freedom movement. Although

a large number of women participated in India's freedom struggle, the contribution

of the following women was more significant. Whose description is as follows:-

1. Women's Beginnings in Movements

i. Bhima Bai Holkar :-
The first brave woman who showed the courage to take up arms against the

British government was Bhima Bai Holkar. Jaswant Rao Holkar had no son.

Therefore, when he died in 1817, the British government decided to usurp his

kingdom. Therefore, in 1817, they defeated the army sent to take control of the
Indore kingdom under Colonel Malcolm in a guerilla war. Thus, Bhima Bai Holkar

took the first step towards the independence of India and lit a torch.

ii. Queen Chenhamma:-

Queen Chenamma was the queen of Malla Sarja, the king of Kittore, a small

state in Karnataka. In 1816 AD, Malla Sarja died suddenly. Therefore, his son

Rudra Sarja ascended the throne. He also died in 1824 AD. In this situation of

crisis, Queen Chenamma took the reins of government in her own hands at the

behest of the people. The British had been keeping a keen eye on the Kir kingdom

for a long time. Therefore, the British attacked Kittore on September 5, 1824 AD.

Due to her limited resources, Queen Chenamma could not fight the British for

much longer and was taken prisoner. Queen Chenamma died in captivity in 1829

AD.

iii. Rani Lakshmi Bai:-

The freedom struggle against the British in Jhansi was fought by Rani Lakshmi

Bai. When Gangadhar Rao died in 1853, he had no children at that time. Rani

Lakshmi Bai started to continue her lineage by adopting Damodar Rao. At that

time, Dalhousie had declared that no king would adopt a child to continue his

lineage. Rani Lakshmi Bai did not accept this rule of Dalhousie and declared war

against the British. Finally, on 17 June 1858, Maharani Lakshmi Bai attained the

status of a hero while fighting the British. According to Dr. Siddhartha Das:-

"No other female warrior in the history of India has

had such an impact on the minds of the people as

Maharani Lakshmi Bai did."

iv. Begum Hazrat Mahal:-

Begum Hazrat Mahal was the queen of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. The

British had annexed Awadh to the British Empire in 1856 AD. Begum Hazrat

Mahal rebelled against the British in Awadh. At that time, the Commissioner of
Awadh was Henry Lawrence. Hazrat Mahal along with her soldiers surrounded

Henry Lawrence, who was living in the British Residency, and put him to death.

When other British officials came to know about this, they started making

preparations to attack Lucknow. Begum Hazrat Mahal was forced to take refuge in

Nepal. The bravery with which Begum Hazrat Mahal fought the British for a long

time is a great example.

2. Role of Women in the Indian National Congress

i. Swaran Kumari Devi:-
Rabindranath Tagore's sister Swarna Kumari Devi had an important

contribution in the Indian National Congress. She started the Bengali journal

"Bharathi" along with her husband. Thus she also earned the honor of being the

first "women editor" of India. Swarna Kumari Devi started a women's organization

"Sakhi Samiti" to instill a sense of patriotism among Indian women.

ii. Kadambani Ganguli:-

Kadambani Ganguly, a native of Bengal, also participated in the Indian

National Congress. She was a graduate of Calcutta University and was also the

first woman doctor of Bengal. Kadambani Ganguly has the distinction of being the

first woman to speak from the Congress platform.

iii. Sarla Devi:-

Women played a significant role in shaking the foundations of the British

government in the Swadeshi movement. Rabindranath Tagore's niece Sarla Devi

played an important role in the Swadeshi and Boycott Movement. Sarla Devi

established institutions like "Mahila Shilp Samiti and Lakshmi Bhandar" in which

only Swadeshi goods were bought and sold.

3. Role of Women in India's Freedom Struggle

i. Mudam Bhikaji Cama:-
Madam Bhikaji Cama played an important role in India's freedom struggle.

Madam Bhikaji hoisted the flag of Indian independence while representing India at

an international socialist conference in Germany. She also ran a newspaper named

Vande Mataram in Paris. Which she edited and published herself. Articles related

to India's independence were published in this newspaper. In 1936 AD, she said

goodbye to us forever. Her stories of bravery and valor were a source of inspiration

for the coming generations.

ii. Mrs. Annie Besant:-

Mrs. Annie Bessett, although a foreign woman, played an important role in the

Indian freedom struggle. She was born on October 1, 1847 AD in Ireland. She

wanted India's independence. With this aim, she founded the Home Rule League

on September 1, 1916 AD. Its main objective was to achieve self-government for

Indians in a constitutional and completely peaceful manner. Mrs. Annie Bessett

published newspapers named Commonwealth and New India with the aim of

popularizing the Home Rule movement. In fact, Mrs. Annie Bessett considered

India as her own country from the bottom of her heart. She died in 1933 AD. Her

contribution to India's independence can never be forgotten.

iii. Rajkumari Amrit Kaur:-

Princess Amrit Kaur played an important role in the Indian freedom struggle.

Her father Raja Harnam Singh belonged to the royal family of Kapurthala. She was

greatly influenced by the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi. She played an important role

with Gandhi in the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920, the Civil Disobedience

Movement in 1930 and the Quit India Movement in 1942. After India's

independence, she worked as the Health Minister. In 1950, she chaired the World

Health Organization (W.H.O). She established AIIMS in Delhi. Undoubtedly, her

significant contribution in uplifting the status of women in India's freedom struggle

will always be remembered.

iv. Aruna Asaf Ali:-
Aruna Asaf Ali was also one of the women who made important contributions

to the Indian freedom struggle. She was born on July 16, 1909 in Kalka (Haryana).

In 1928, she was married to Asaf Ali. Asaf Ali was a famous leader of the Indian

National Congress. Therefore, after marriage, Aruna Asaf Ali also joined the

Indian freedom struggle. She traveled to different parts of India in 1930 to

popularize the Civil Non-Disobedience Movement started by Mahatma Gandhi.

Aruna Asaf Ali also played an important role during the Quit India Movement in

1942. Due to this, Aruna Asaf Ali once again became a headache for the British

government.

v. Rani Gedinileu :-
Rani Gadinelliu was a famous Naga leader of Manipur. She made a significant

contribution to the Indian freedom struggle. She was born on 26 January 1915 in a

village in Manipur in a priest family. Gadinelliu means "one who shows the good

path" in the Naga language. She dreamed of India's independence from childhood.

Rani Gadinelliu started a campaign against the British and asked the Naga people

to unite under one flag. The Civil Non-Friday Movement launched by Mahatma

Gandhi in 1930 provided a golden opportunity for Rani Gadinelliu. She left no

stone unturned in making this movement popular in Manipur. Queen Gediniello

was imprisoned in October 1932. She was sentenced to life imprisonment.

vi. Kamla Nehru:-

Kamala Nehru was the wife of Jawaharlal Nehru. She proved herself as a

personal leader. She participated in the Non-Cooperation and Salt Satyagraha

movements and inspired women. During this movement, the British government

arrested her twice. Kamala Nehru died on 28 February 1936.

vii. Vijay Lakshmi Pandit :-

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit was one of the most famous politicians of the world in
the 20th century. She was the sister of Jawaharlal Nehru. Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

played an important role during the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930. Even

after independence, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit worked in important positions. She was

India's ambassador to the Soviet Union, the United States, Spain and Ireland. She

was appointed the first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly

in 1953. She was the Governor of Maharashtra from 1962 to 1964. India will

always remember her for her valuable contribution.

viii. Kasturba Gandhi:-

Kasturba Gandhi played an active role in many movements along with her

husband Mahatma Gandhi. She participated in the Khilafat Movement and many

Satyagrahas. She trained women in Sabarmati Ashram to make Khadi and become

self-reliant. With this aim, Kasturba Gandhi inspired the women there to

participate in this Satyagraha movement. In 1942, during the Quit India

Movement, the British government arrested Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba

Gandhi and sent them to the Aga Khan Jail in Poona. Kasturba Gandhi died on 22

February 1944 while in jail. Kasturba Gandhi's name will always be immortalized

in history due to her invaluable contribution to India's freedom struggle.

ix. Sarojini Naidu:-

Among the women who made valuable contributions to India's freedom

struggle, Sarojini Naidu holds an important place. She surprised everyone by

writing a long poem in English at the age of just 13. She was also called the

Nightingale of India due to her sweet voice when she read poetry. She led the

women's convoy after Gandhiji's arrest in 1917 AD. She made an important

contribution to the Quit India Movement. She became the first woman Governor of

India. She wrote famous books called 'The Golden Threshold', 'The Bird of Time'

and 'The Broken Wings'. She died on March 2, 1949 AD. Their invaluable

contribution to Indian history will always be remembered.

x. Usha Mehta:-
Usha Mehta ran a secret radio channel called Calling India, which became a

voice for freedom without the supervision of the British government. Through

radio, she used to convey her message to the people. Despite her arrest, her

courage remained intact.

xi. Kamla Devi Chattopadhyay :-

Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay was living in London when she heard about

Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement. In 1923, she returned to India and

started participating in the revolutionary activities of India. Kamala Devi played an

important role in Gandhi's Civil Disobedience Movement. She tried to sell salt in

the Bombay Stock Exchange. Due to which she was also arrested and sentenced to

one year in prison.

xii. Sucheta Kripalani:-

Sucheta Kripalani worked with Mahatma Gandhi in the Quit India Movement.

She led the women's wing of the Congress and inspired many women to join the

nationalist movement. She was inspired to join the movement. She sang the song

Vande Mataram in the Independence Session of the Constituent Assembly on

August 15, 1947. She was the General Secretary of the Indian National Congress

from 1958 to 1960 and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1963 to 1967.

xiii. Kalpana Dutta:-

Kalpana Dutta was another prominent woman revolutionary leader. She was

greatly influenced by the revolutionary ideas of Gandhiji and Surya Sen. She raised

her voice against the British in Chittagong city and inspired women. Later Kalpana

Dutta joined the Communist Party of India.

xiv. Durga Bhai Deshmukh:-

Durga Bai Deshmukh was very much influenced by Gandhiji's ideas. She led a

group of salt law breakers on the Marina Beach in Madras. For this, the British
government arrested her and sentenced her to three years in prison. She played an

important role in starting the Andhra Mahila Sabha and the 'Hindi Balika

Pathshala' at a very young age. I

xv. Padmaja Naidu:-

Padmaja Naidu was just like her mother Sarojini Naidu. At the age of 21, she

entered the national movement and became the co-founder of the Indian National

Congress of Hyderabad. She spread the message of Khadi and inspired people to

boycott foreign goods. In 1942, she was sent to jail for participating in the 'Quit

India' movement. After independence, Padmaja became the Governor of West

Bengal.

Conclusion:-
India's freedom struggle was a movement in which women's power made an

indelible contribution with their zeal, dedication and intelligence. This struggle

was not just a war against male rule, but it was also a movement of social change.

In which women wrote a new definition of their rights, self-reliance and patriotism.

According to Dr. Siddharth Das:-

"The contribution made by women in India's freedom

struggle can never be forgotten."

The role played by Kasturba Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, Annie Besant, Kamala

Nehru, Aruna Asaf Ali and Usha Mehta is not only a source of inspiration for

today's women but also an example of instilling self-confidence in them. All these

women proved that they not only helped in the freedom movement but also

presided over the movements. In the end, we can say that the contribution of these

women was not only a historical character for today's generation but also a new

source of living with freedom