Women in freedom struggle
Women in freedom struggle — Sarojini Naidu · Aruna Asaf Ali · Bhikaji Cama · Kasturba · Captain Lakshmi
7 min read · Updated 2026-05-25
What are Women in the freedom struggle?
Women in the freedom struggle were participants at every stage, from the 1857 fighters Rani Lakshmibai and Begum Hazrat Mahal onwards. Bhikaji Cama raised the Indian flag at Stuttgart on 22 August 1907; Sarojini Naidu became the first Indian woman Congress president in 1925; Aruna Asaf Ali hoisted the flag at Gowalia Tank in 1942; Lakshmi Sahgal commanded the Rani of Jhansi Regiment.
The story
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.