Women in freedom struggle

Story hook

It is 22 August 1907, Stuttgart, Germany. At the International Socialist Conference, a 46-year-old Parsi woman from Bombay raises a first-ever Indian tricolour flag of independence (green-saffron-red horizontal bands with sun-crescent-stars + Vande Mataram inscription) — the first recognised Indian flag unfurled abroad. Her name: Bhikaji Cama ("Madam Cama").

For UPSC, women's role in the freedom struggle is a recurring GS-I + Essay theme — and yet candidates often know only Sarojini Naidu by name. The full list spans diplomats, poets, revolutionaries, satyagrahis, parliamentarians, and warriors — from Begum Hazrat Mahal (1857) to Lakshmi Sahgal (INA) to Aruna Asaf Ali (Quit India).

Why this matters for UPSC

For UPSC:

• Prelims: Names + dates + organisations + specific contributions; Bharat Ratna recipients; Constitution-drafting women members.
• Mains GS-I: Women's mobilisation patterns; from elite reform to mass satyagraha; All India Women's Conference (AIWC) 1927.
• Mains GS-II: Constitutional + post-Independence representation legacy.
• Interview: Recent 128th Amendment (Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam 2023) in light of freedom struggle precursors.