Duvvuri Subbamma (15 November 1880 – 31 May 1964) was an

Indian independence activist The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of many methods. This is a li ...

who played an important role in the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed. The first nationalistic ...

. She was one of the founders of the women's congress committee.

Biography

Subbamma was born in 1880 in

Draksharamam Draksharamam is a village in Konaseema district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Bhimeswara Swamy Temple in this town is one of the five temples of Shiva known as Pancharama Kshetras. Ashta Someswaras Eight lingas are consecrated i ...

East Godavari district East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram. Geography This district is surrounded by: * North East: Alluri Sitharama Raju district * North West: Eluru ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. A child bride, she was married at the age of ten. She was widowed at a very young age. After her husband's death, she took up activism and joined the Quit India Movement against the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. She took part in the civil disobedience movement and strongly advocated total freedom from British rule in India. In 1922, she organized the women's congress committee. In 1923, she organized a meeting in

Kakinada Kakinada (; formerly known as Cocanada) is a Port, port city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated along the Bay of Bengal, it serves as the headquarters of Kakinada district and is a prominent economic and c ...

, Andhra Pradesh, where hundreds of women volunteers attended the Kakinada Congress Mahasabha. Subbamma organized Andhra Mahila Sabhas that trained and educated women in the national freedom movement and was instrumental in galvanizing support of the women in the Indian independence movement. She extensively traveled throughout Andhra Pradesh promoting women's empowerment. Together with other activists like Nadimpalli, Sundaramma helped set up the Goteti Manikyamba, Andhra Mahasabha, and T. Varakshmamma organizations. Subbamma was arrested and incarcerated in the

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry ( ), officially Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and district headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the fifth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the district of Rajahmu ...

prison for one year due to her activities on behalf of the

civil disobedience movement Civil disobedience is the active and professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws, demands, orders, or commands of a government (or any other authority). By some definitions, civil disobedience has to be nonviolent to be called "civil". ...

. She also spent a year in the Rayavellore prison for taking part in the

Salt March The Salt march, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March, and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of Non violence, non violent civil disobedience in British Raj, colonial India, led by Mahatma Gandhi. The 24-day march lasted from 12 March 19 ...

. She aggressively spoke out and worked for the abolition of

untouchability Untouchability is a form of social institution that legitimises and enforces practices that are discriminatory, humiliating, exclusionary and exploitative against people belonging to certain social groups. Although comparable forms of discrimin ...

in India. She is memorialized with a bust in the Freedom Park in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Subbamma, Duvvuri 1880 births 1964 deaths Women Indian independence activists People from East Godavari district Activists from Andhra Pradesh 19th-century Indian women 19th-century Indian people 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians Indian National Congress politicians from Andhra Pradesh