Role of Women in the Indian Freedom Struggle

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To call women the weaker sex is slander. If she did not have more inner strength, self-sacrifice, and resistance then men and mankind would not have survived.

India’s struggle for freedom, commonly referred to as the Indian Independence Movement was a series of historical events with an ultimate aim of bringing an end to the British colonial rule in India. Whenever the record of India’s freedom struggle is composed, the sacrifices created by Indian women will surely find the most prominent place in it. 

Leaders like the Rani of Ramgarh, Rani Jindan Kaur, Rani Tace Bai, Baiza Bai, Chauhan Rani, and Tapasvini Maharani led their troops into battle against the British in the First War of Independence in 1857. We can’t talk about this battle without mentioning the heroism displayed by Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, who valiantly defended the fort of Jhansi against the rebellion by the East India Company. Even after her troops were overwhelmed, Rani Laxmibai did not surrender.  Furthermore, Begum Hazrat Mahal, the revolutionary queen of Awadh, triumphantly reinstated Indian rule in Awadh after her husband, the Nawab of Awadh was exiled. She led the army that fought against the British to take back control of her territory.

When most of the prominent Indian men were in prison, a wonderful thing took place. Our women jumped into the arena of the freedom struggle. They had always been contributing to the independence struggle, but the wave of their original enthusiasm surprised the British Government. The Home Secretary of the British government had to confess that nothing had disturbed him more than the excellent awakening between the Indian Women and the part played by them in Indian politics. Undoubtedly, women marked their place clearly in the struggle for independence. Nationwide, women like Kasturba Gandhi have engaged in the Indian Freedom Movement through campaigns and strikes of civil disobedience. Women from all over India were looking for inspiration at Kasturba.

The massive "Simon Go Back" movement captivated many women like Usha Mehta. She broadcasted Congress Radio all along the Quit India Movement. The British seemed to have been able to silence the Quit India campaign, as over 100,000 protesters were detained, or hidden, with important leaders. However, as bright heroes shone in the freedom struggle, many nameless women have in their way contributed to the movement.  Women as messengers, supporters, wives and mothers and as leaders were an integral part of the independence movement.

Our nation needs to remember that our freedom struggle would not quite be the same without women. Alas, it is not just memory and names that the past teaches us. It is the way forward, the respect earned, and the sheer faith that women are just as worthy of standing up for themselves, demanding independence, and not quite paying any price for it.

Written by:

Nandan Sawant, Ria Dembla

Illustration by:

Sini Shrivastava

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