rjisacjournal.com

ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT

Dr. G. Pushparaj
Assistant Professor of History, Udaya College of Arts & Science, Vellamodi.

The freedom movement of India covered a time-span of sixty-two years starting with the birth of the Indian National Congress in 1885 upto 1947, when India attained Independence.  Women participated in the movement during the entire period though the degree of participation varied across different stages of the movement.  However, the actual participation of women in the freedom struggle began with the emergence of Gandhiji on the political scene of India in the 1920’s.

In the course of the freedom struggle, many women freedom fighters played an important role.  So their individual efforts need to be reflected upon for a proper understanding of women’s role in the freedom struggle.

Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi emerged as a great heroine during the revolt and her bravery and courage have immortalized her name.  Other prominent women who participated in the 1857 revolt, also known as Sepoy Mutiny, were Rani Tara Bai, Begu, Hazrat Mahal, Lalitha Bakshi, Jhalkari, Sunder Kashi Bai, Munder Moti Bai, Rani of Ranigarh and Rani of Tulsipur.  They may be few in number but they symbolised the spirit and qualities of Indian womanhood.

The spirit of violent opposition, suppressed with British success in 1857 did not vanish.  It smouldered in the hearts of people who were waiting for an opportunity to spread out like wild fire.  At this time in 1885, Indian National Congress emerged which provided a platform for all men and women to avenge their wrath against the British and achieve freedom for the country.  Right from 1885 women were given membership to the Indian National Congress as the political reformers were aware of their worth.

Ten women attended the fourth session of the Congress at Bombay in 1889.  Since 1900, the number gradually began to increase, when K. Ganguly, the first woman doctor of Bengal became the first woman to speak from the Congress platform.  Like the men, women participants who attended were from Calcutta and Bombay.

Prominent amongst them was Swarna Kumari Devi, a great social reformer, the first Indian woman editor and sister of Rabindranath Tagore.  Before joining the Indian National Congress Swarna Kumari started a women’s association to foster among Indian women, an active and enlightened interest in the welfare of the country.  The other women present were Pandita Ramabai, Mrs. Shevanti Bai, Mrs. Shanti Bai N. Kamber, Mrs. Kashi Bai Kanitkar and Manikjee Arbtejee, all of whom became renowned educationists and social reformers.

The role of women during this period varied from contributing for the National fund, to participating in revoluntionary activities.  They contributed their gold bangles, nose rings and bracelets to the National Fund without any hesitation and even watched by the police.

Emergence of an elite brand of women taking interest in the socio-political affairs of the country increased rapidly particularly after the partition of Benal in 1905.  The Home Rule League of Annie Beasant, birth of women’s organisations established like Women’s Indian Association (WIA), All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) and local level organisations were the facilitating factors.

The Women’s Indian Association had been strongly nationalist, illustrated by its boycott of the Simon Commission and the First Round Table Conference, its promotion of Swadeshi and the publicity about the Civil disobedience campaign through Stri Dharma.1  Muthulakshmi Reddi one of is most prominent leaders, resigned her office of the Deputy Chairman of the Madras Legislative Council, during the Civil Disobedience campaign.2  As the All India Women’s Conference’s constitution prohibited involvement in party politics and it had not participated  in the boycott of the Simon Commission and the as members of the Commission were invited to attend the second All India Women’s Conference’s meeting.3  Though AIWC and NCWI focused on educational and social matters, had shown interest in the question of women representatives in the legislatures.  Since Congress party supported their views on women’s political rights, these women’s organisations supported Congress.4

Women’s work in the Salt Satyagraha, and all the stages of Civil Disobedience movements was quite astonishing.  They lit the flame of awakening in the hearts of the people by picketing at the liquor shops and foreign goods shops.  In the early mornings they had sung inspiring songs and spread Gandhiji’s message everywhere.  In their kitchens they secretly worked on the cyclostyle machines and used to print lead lets, hand bills etc., secretly in the darkness of the night.  During that time all the jails were full of Indian Satyagrahi women.5

In the Salt Satyagraha of Dharasna, Sarojini Naidu led 25,000 people.  Women delicate by nature were dissuaded from the participation in the terrific struggle but they were prepared to tolerate all the tortures.  Thousands of women faced lathi, bullet and jail.  In them were right from an old woman of seventy years.  Matangini Hajara upto fourteen years of age Kanaklatha and Ratnamala.  They were naturally honoured in these words that they are not the weaker sex but are quite strong.  The horizons of their mind got widened by staying in jails, participating in the movement.  In Madras Presidency Rukmani Lakshmipathi took the lead.  She participated in the Salt Satyagraha in 1931 at Vedaranyam and was sentenced to one year simple imprisonment.  The political prisoner’s section in the Vellore women’s jail was inaugurated by her.  She was arrested in the Civil Disobedience movement of 1932 and sentenced to six months imprisonment.  In 1940 she took part in the Individual Satyagraha Movement and was sentenced to one year imprisonment.6  Another prominent leader of the Salt Satyagraha was Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya.7

During the Civil Disobedience Movement of 1930, Kamaladevi addressed meetings.  Prepared salt and picketed foreign cloth and liquor shops.  She offered passive resistance and guarded the salt pans when the police raided the Congress House, Bombay.  Salt was publicly prepared by her and was sold in the open market.  She even chose High Court’s premises for selling salt.  She planned a raid on salt fields in the precincts of Bombay city.  Before she could realize her dream, she was arrested.  She was awarded six months imprisonment.  She was jailed for the first time at Yerwada jail.8  Then she was released in 1931.  Kamaladevi was arrested again in 1932 and was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.

Kamaladevi joined the Congress Socialist Party in 1934 and made a whirlwind tour of the country.  She was incharge of the foundation of Hindustani Seva Dal, Rashtriya Stri Sabha and its branches.  Her last imprisonment was at Vellore jail under solitary confinement in 1941 and she was released from jail in 1944.9

During the 1942 Quit India Movement women played a significant role.  Aruna Asaf Ali led the under ground movement along with other leaders and upto the end the British could not arrest her.  Dr. Usha Mehta with other women organized the under ground Radio Centre very efficiently under the guidance of Dr. Lohia.  Some women believed in armed revolution.  Women leaders of Bengal and Punjab have to be mentioned in this connection.  The sacrifice of Bina Das, Kalpana Dutt and Pritilata Vaddedar is very great.10

The Constituent Assembly setup in the year prior to India’s independence, i.e., 1946 October and a body elected by the existing Legislatures, had among its members Sarojini Naidu, Durgabai Deshmukh, Renuka Ray and Hansa Mehta to frame the Constitution of India on independence.  It was definitely and without doubt that this period of India’s history with the four previous decades of the heroic struggle for freedom in which women participated as courageously and unflinchingly as their male counterparts, that established women’s right of equality with men.11

References

  1. Indian Social Reformers, March 28, 1931, p. 469 and Modern Review, October, 1930, p. 450.
  2. Tamil Arasu, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, August, 1997, p.6.
  3. Jana Matson Everett, Women and Social Change in India, New Delhi, 1979, p. 119.
  4. Ibid.
  5. Champa Limaye, Women : Power and Progress, New Delhi, 1999, p. 37.
  6. Ibid., p. 35.
  7. Tamil Arasu, Chennai, September, 1997, p.20.
  8. Sakuntala Narasimhan, ‘Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya’, The Romantic Rebel, New Delhi, 1999, pp. 237-239.
  9. Manmohan Kaur, Women in India’s Freedom Struggle, NEw Delhi, 2000, pp. 166-169.
  10. Champa Limaye, Op.cit., p. 35.
  11. Dr. Vinita Kaul, Women and the Wind of Change, New Delhi, 2000, pp. 332-333.