1 / 10Basanti Devi | Basanti Devi joined the freedom struggle after her husband Chittaranjan Das was arrested. She was a participant in the Khilafat movement and the Civil Disobedience movement. She was one of the founding members of the Nari Karma Mandira, which was aimed at educating women. She went to prison for a short time for selling khadi in Kolkata (then Calcutta). She also ran the weekly publication of Bangalar Katha and headed the Bengal Provincial Congress as its president, She received the Padma Vibhushan Award in 1973. (Image: Twitter)
2 / 10Dr Laxmi Sehgal | Dr Laxmi Sehgal, also known as or Capt Laxmi Sehgal, was more than a freedom fighter as her efforts pushed against casteism in India. She trained as a medical student at the Madras Medical College and did her MBBS in 1938. She was drawn to the freedom movement by Subhas Chandra Bose’s call for action. She helped build and command the first all-women regiment of Netaji's Indian National Army, earning the title of Captain Laxmi Sehgal. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
3 / 10Sarojini Naidu | Also known as The Nightingale of India,' Sarojini Naidu was an activist, poet and politician. She was the first woman governor of an Indian state after independence and also the second president of the Indian National Congress. She worked selflessly during the freedom struggle and actively supported Mahatma Gandhi's freedom movement. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
4 / 10Umabai Kundapur | Umabai Kundapur is often considered an unsung hero of the freedom struggle. She was the founder of Bhagini Mandal. In 1946, Mahatma Gandhi appointed her as the agent for the Karnataka branch of the Kasturba Trust. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
5 / 10Tara Rani Srivastava | Tara Rani and her husband Phulendu Babu joined Gandhiji’s Quit India movement in 1942. They organised protests and planned to hoist the Indian flag at the roof of the Siwan Police Station in Bihar. As they led a crowd towards the Siwan Police Station, raising the ‘Inquilab’ slogan, the police opened fire on them. Phulendu was hit and Tara bandaged him with part of her sari. She then continued to lead the march towards the station holding the Indian flag. When Tara came back, her husband was dead. She continued to play an active role in the freedom struggle. (Image: amritmahotsav.nic.in)
6 / 10Matangini Hazra | Matangini Hazra, also known as Gandhi Buri, was an integral part of the Quit India and Non-Cooperation movements. She was shot thrice when police fired at a procession she was leading. She died with ‘Vande Mataram’ on her lips. A statue was put up in Kolkata (then Calcutta) to commemorate her. Later another statue was installed at the spot where she was killed in Tamluk. The Hazra Road in Kolkata was named after her. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
7 / 10Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay | Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was a social reformer and a distinguished theatre actor who played a very important role in India’s fight for freedom. She also participated in the Satyagraha of 1930. She played an important role in creating the All-India Women’s Conference. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
8 / 10Uda Devi | Uda Devi was among the first freedom fighters who revolted against the British regime in the Indian Revolt of 1857. It is said that Uma Devi climbed a tree during the revolt and shot 30-36 British soldiers. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
9 / 10Aruna Asaf Ali | Popularly known as ‘The Grand Old Lady’ of the independence struggle, Aruna Asif Ali was an activist and a freedom fighter. She is best known for hoisting the Indian National Congress flag at the Gowalia Tank Maidan in Mumbai (then Bombay) during the Quit India movement. She also took part in the Salt March and other protest marches for which she was imprisoned. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
10 / 10Bhikaiji Cama | Bhikaji Cama was the first person to hoist the Indian flag on foreign soil, in Germany. She met Dadabhai Naoroji while she was residing in London and joined the Indian National Congress. She helped publish and smuggle the newspaper, Bande Mataram, to India and was sent to jail for three years during the First World War. In 1935, she came back to India but died within a year of her return. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
