Lakshmi Swaminathan
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Lakshmi Sahgal () (born Lakshmi Swaminathan; 24 October 1914 – 23 July 2012) was an Indian politician and activist. She was a revolutionary of 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 ...
, an officer of the
Indian National Army The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...
, and the Minister of Women's Affairs in the
Azad Hind government The Provisional Government of Free India or, more simply, Azad Hind, was a short-lived Japanese-controlled provisional government in India. It was established in Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II in October 1943 and has been con ...
. Lakshmi is commonly referred to in India as Captain Lakshmi, a reference to her rank when taken prisoner in Burma during the Second World War.


Early life

LakshmiSahgal1945."Capt. Lakshmi" from a 1945 newspaper p 1914 to S. Swaminathan, a lawyer who practiced criminal law at
Madras High Court The High Court of Judicature at Madras is a High Courts of India, High Court located in Chennai, India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry. It is one of ...
, and A.V. Ammukutty, better known as
Ammu Swaminathan Ammu Swaminathan or A. V. Ammakuti (22 April 1894 – 4 July 1978) was an Indian social worker and political activist during the Indian independence movement and a member of the Constituent Assembly of India. Early life Ammukutty Swaminadha ...
, a social worker and independence activist from an aristocratic
Nair The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...
family known as "Vadakkath" family of Anakkara, Ponnani taluk,
Malabar District Malabar District, also known as British Malabar or simply Malabar was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792–1800), Madras Presidency (1800–1950) and finally, Madras State (1950–1956) in ...
,
British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...
. She is the elder sister of
Mrinalini Sarabhai Mrinalini Vikram Sarabhai (11 May 1918 – 21 January 2016) was an Indian classical dancer, choreographer and instructor. She was the founder and director of the Darpana Academy of Performing Arts, an institute for imparting training in dance, ...
. Lakshmi studied in Queen Mary's College and later chose to study medicine and received an MBBS degree from
Madras Medical College Madras Medical College (MMC) is a public medical college located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1835, it is one of the oldest medical colleges in India, as well as in Asia. History The Government General Hospital was established ...
in 1938. A year later, she received her diploma in
gynaecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...
and
obstetrics Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a su ...
. She worked as a doctor in the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital located at
Triplicane Thiruvallikeni known as Triplicane, is one of the oldest neighbourhoods of Chennai, India. It is situated on the Bay of Bengal coast and about from Fort St George. The average elevation of the neighbourhood is 14 metres above Mean sea leve ...
Chennai. In 1940, she left for
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
after the failure of her marriage to pilot P.K.N. Rao. During her stay at Singapore, she met some members of
Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian independence movement, Indian nationalist whose defiance of British raj, British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with ...
's
Indian National Army The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...
.


The Azad Hind Fauj

In 1942, during the surrender of Singapore by the British to the Japanese, Lakshmi aided wounded
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
, many of whom were interested in forming an Indian independence army. Singapore at this time had several nationalist Indians working there including K. P. Kesava Menon, S. C. Guha and N. Raghavan, who formed a Council of Action. Their
Indian National Army The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...
, or ''Azad Hind Fauj'', however, received no firm commitments or approval from the occupying Japanese forces regarding their participation in the war. It was against this backdrop that Subhash Chandra Bose arrived in Singapore on 2 July 1943, and reorganized the movement. Lakshmi Sahgal wrote later: “At the second mass meeting, Netaji dropped a bombshell by saying that it was his intention to form a women's infantry regiment, named after the Rani of Jhansi who had fought so heroically against the British in 1857… I told him I was ready to join... The date was July 8, 1943”. Women responded enthusiastically to join the all-women brigade and Dr. Lakshmi Swaminathan became Captain Lakshmi, a name and identity that would stay with her for life. Captain Lakshmi was the Minister in Charge of Women's Organization in the
Provisional Government of Free India The Provisional Government of Free India or, more simply, Azad Hind, was a short-lived Japanese-controlled provisional government in India. It was established in Japanese occupation of Singapore, Japanese occupied Singapore during World War II ...
led by Subash Chandra Bose in Singapore. The INA marched to Burma with the
Japanese army The , , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service branches. New military guidelines, announced in December 2010, direct t ...
in December 1944, but by March 1945, with the tide of war turning against them, the INA leadership decided to beat a retreat before they could enter
Imphal Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...
. Captain Lakshmi was arrested by the British in May 1945, remaining in
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
until March 1946, when she was sent to India – at a time when the
INA trials The Indian National Army trials (also known as the INA trials and the Red Fort trials) was the British Indian trial by court-martial of a number of officers of the Indian National Army (INA) between November 1945 and May 1946, on various charges ...
in Delhi heightened popular discontent with and hastened the end of colonial rule.


Later years

In 1971, Lakshmi joined the
Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...
. During the Bangladesh crisis, she organised relief camps and medical aid in Calcutta for refugees who streamed into India from Bangladesh. She was one of the founding members of
All India Democratic Women's Association All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) is a women's organisation committed to achieving democracy, equality and Women's rights, women's emancipation. It has an organisational presence in 23 states in India, with a current membership o ...
in 1981 and led many of its activities and campaigns. She led a medical team to Bhopal after the gas tragedy in December 1984, worked towards restoring peace in Kanpur following the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and was arrested for her participation in a campaign against the Miss World competition in Bangalore in 1996. She was still seeing patients regularly at her clinic in Kanpur in 2006, at the age of 92. In
2002 Indian presidential election The 2002 Indian presidential election was held on 15 July 2002 to elect President of India. On 18 July 2002, the results were declared. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam became the List of Presidents of India, 11th President by beating his nearest rival Laksh ...
, four leftist partiesthe
Communist Party of India The Communist Party of India (CPI) is a political party in India. The CPI considers the Foundation of the Communist Party of India, December 26, 1925 Cawnpore (Kanpur) conference as its foundation date. Between 1946 and 1951, the CPI led m ...
, the
Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...
, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the
All India Forward Bloc The All India Forward Bloc ( AIFB) is a Left-wing nationalism, left-wing nationalist political party in India. It emerged as a Political faction, faction within the Indian National Congress in 1939, led by Subhas Chandra Bose, and was strongest ...
nominated Sahgal as a candidate in the presidential elections. She was the sole opponent of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who emerged victorious.


Personal life

Lakshmi married
Prem Kumar Sahgal Lieutenant colonel Prem Kumar Sahgal (25 March 1917 – 17 October 1992) was an Indian Army officer in the British Indian Army. After becoming a Japanese prisoner of war, he served as an officer in the Indian National Army, which was led by Su ...
in March 1947 in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
. After their marriage, they settled in
Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
, where she continued with her medical practice and aided the refugees who were arriving in large numbers following the
Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...
. They had two daughters:
Subhashini Ali Subhasini Ali (née Sehgal; born 29 December 1947) is an Indian Marxist politician. She is a Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Polit Buro Member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). She is also the former President o ...
and Anisa Puri. Subhashini is a prominent communist politician and labour activist. According to Ali, Lakshmi was an
atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...
. The filmmaker
Shaad Ali Shaad Ali is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Hindi films. Early life and education Ali was born to Muzaffar Ali and Subhashini Ali (née Sahgal), an Indian politician and member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). ...
is her grandson.


Death

On 19 July 2012, Sahgal had a cardiac arrest and died on 23 July 2012 at 11:20 A.M. at the age of 97 at Kanpur. Her body was donated to Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College for medical research.


Awards

In 1998, Sahgal was awarded the
Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons w ...
by Indian president
K. R. Narayanan Kocheril Raman "K. R." Narayanan (27 October 1920 – 9 November 2005) was an Indian statesman, diplomat, academic, and politician who served as the vice president of India from 1992 to 1997 and president of India from 1997 to 2002. Naray ...
. In 2010, she was bestowed with
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
by
University of Calicut The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a State ownership, state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to ...
.


In popular culture

Rajeshwari Sachdev played the role of Captain Sahgal in 2004 film '' Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero''. Shruthi Seth played the role of Sahgal in 2020
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
series ''
The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye ''The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye'' is a television series which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 24 January 2020. The series is directed by Kabir Khan, and is based on true events about the men and women in the Indian National Army (IN ...
''. She also appears as a character in the grand strategy game Hearts of Iron: 4.


See also

*
Indian National Army The Indian National Army (INA, sometimes Second INA; ''Azad Hind Fauj'' ; 'Free Indian Army') was a Empire of Japan, Japanese-allied and -supported armed force constituted in Southeast Asia during World War II and led by Indian Nationalism#An ...
* Janaky Athi Nahappan *
Rasammah Bhupalan Rasammah Bhupalan (, 1 May 1927 – 13 May 2025), also known as Rasammah Naomi Navarednam or F. R. Bhupalan, was a Malaysian independence and social activist of Tamil origin. Bhupalan championed causes such as the anti-drug abuse movement, wom ...
*
Ethnic communities in Kanpur An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, rel ...


References

*Subhashini Al
Lakshmi Sahgal: A life in service
*Indra Guptha ''India's 50 Most Illustrious Women'' * Peter Fay ''The Forgotten Army: India's Armed Struggle for Independence, 1942-1945''


External links


Lakshmi Sehgal: A life of struggle and sacrifice - by Sambhavika Sharma





Indian Express Interview: Despite differences, India is one: Captain Laxmi Sehgal

Freedom fighter Captain Lakshmi Sahgal dies
, NDTV
Captain Lakshmi
''The Economist'', 4 August 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sahgal, Lakshmi 1914 births 2012 deaths 20th-century Indian medical doctors 20th-century Indian women scientists 20th-century Indian women medical doctors 21st-century Indian medical doctors 21st-century Indian women scientists 21st-century Indian women medical doctors Azad Hind Candidates for President of India Female revolutionaries Indian atheists Indian communists Indian gynaecologists Indian independence activists from Tamil Nadu Indian independence movement Indian National Army personnel Indian rebels Indian revolutionaries Indian women gynaecologists Indian women in World War II Medical doctors from Tamil Nadu Medical doctors from Uttar Pradesh Madras Medical College alumni People from Kanpur Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in public affairs Subhas Chandra Bose Women scientists from Tamil Nadu Women scientists from Uttar Pradesh